


Satisfied Mind

by TheKorpswomanOfKrieg



Series: Harry's Lunaverse [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-09-29 14:08:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 35,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20437301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKorpswomanOfKrieg/pseuds/TheKorpswomanOfKrieg
Summary: The demons from Harry's past have finally caught up with him, and left him a shell of his former self... but a visit from his boss puts him on the right path, and in the waiting room, he meets an old friend... advance trigger warning for mental health issues.Depressed!Harry Depressed!Luna Eventual Harry/Luna pairing. C+C is definitely wanted! Re-host from FFN! Hope to see you reading soon :)





	1. Three Weeks

**Satisfied Mind**

Chapter One: Three Weeks

Three weeks.

Three weeks since Harry Potter had hidden himself away from the world, both Muggle and Wizarding. Through no fault of his own, his mind had started to encroach on him. Waking up in cold sweats of a night-time, mind flashing back to the trauma he'd faced from childhood until the last days of the 2nd Wizarding War.

* * *

Three weeks since Ginny Weasley had found Harry's torment to be too much for her, and thought it best to leave, for her sake and his.

"I'm so sorry Harry. I don't want this to mean we can't be friends. I'll always love you like that. If and when you get on top of your demons… I'll be there."

She'd gripped his hand tightly and kissed him on the forehead as she left, sobbing uncontrollably as she'd taken the Floo back to the Burrow.

Harry couldn't blame her at all. He'd become… not unbearable, but difficult, in the way those who had their demons were difficult to bear. He was unstable, but never malicious. He'd spent so long bearing the burdens of many, suppressing and packing away the traumas and the hardships he felt, that when the strife ended in the Wizarding World and all came to know peace… it caught up with him.

* * *

Three weeks since his days became greyer, and greyer, until they'd become damn-near pitch black.

The letters were piling up from the post owls every morning, but he didn't even look at the envelopes. He had many knocks on the door, but he never answered. That was how he wanted it… for now at least.

The fog in his mind, from his past, became part of him. He felt no purpose any more, no joy, no sorrow, but only nothing. Existing on Muggle takeaway meals and doing nowt other than watch Muggle television, his existence became drudgery. The black dog was on his shoulder, weighing him down at every step.

* * *

Three weeks since any human contact.

Harry had spoken to no one other than Kreacher, the house elf, since Ginny left 12 Grimmauld Place. In truth, while Kreacher had been as miserable as he was at one point, he was company, and that was enough aside from the pleasantries he'd give to the Muggles working behind the counter at the takeaways he'd visit nightly.

* * *

On the first day of the fourth week, there was another knocking on Harry's door. It woke him from his slumber on the sofa, clad in only a grey t-shirt - stained with last night's food - and pyjama bottoms. He had no intention of answering until a deep, booming voice rang through.

"Harry, we've been trying to get to you for nearly a month! Open up or I'm kicking the bloody door down." It sounded like Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry's boss, but he was never normally sounding that agitated… but, in order to not risk the ire, or the bill incurred by replacing the door, he got up and answered, barely being able to say hello before Kingsley wrapped him in a strong, paternal hug and closed the door behind him.

"We're having a word. Now." Kingsley said sternly, striding past Harry into the living room and taking a seat on an armchair. Harry took a second to give Kingsley a look as he walked in, and saw he was in a Muggle suit, unusual for the Minister of Magic to wear.

"Kingsley… is that a-"

"Suit, yes. I've got a meeting with the Prime Minister in an hour, I stopped here on my way." Kingsley interrupted, motioning for Harry to sit down, who did so without thinking.

"Radio silence for three bloody weeks Harry. Three! Bloody! Weeks! I've had letters, Floo visits from Molly bloody Weasley worrying her poor bloody heart out about you and everyone under the bloody sun wondering where you are. We thought you'd topped yourself! Tell me what the hell is going on. I'll postpone the bloody meeting if I have to."

"You say bloody a lot when you're angry, don't you Kingsley." Kingsley cracked a grin under his concerned façade and chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, I do. I would have said worse but I think it's… unbecoming of a gentleman to be so uncouth." Harry cracked a small smile for the first time in weeks at that, shifting forward and putting his hands together.

"You've had Molly visiting you? Christ, that must have been painful." "

The bruising has only just gone down from the other day. She's got a right hook on her, I'll tell you that much."

Harry smiled again, feeling some sudden rushes of emotion for the first time in nearly a month.

"Now Harry… tell me about what's happened, or been happening. I'll give you all the time you need, but I can tell that it's something not quite right."

Harry sighed deeply, and shouted for Kreacher to make him and Kingsley a cup of tea each, before looking up and starting to speak.

"W-well… I think… I think everything has caught up with me. You know, about the War. I know it's been a few years but only now, is it really sinking in for me, all the trauma, all the horrible things that Voldemort and the Death Eaters did, all the shit, basically." Kingsley leaned forward and gave a slight nod as Harry spoke.

"I definitely bottled it up. Far more than I should. I know it's not an excuse, but I used to talk to Sirius, or Dumbledore about things like this, and with them gone, it's all piled up. I've swept it all under the rug and just let it fester."

"When did the nightmares start?"

Harry looked briefly shocked at this. "What do you mean?" Kreacher entered the room, mumbling greetings to Harry and Kingsley before placing their mugs of tea down on the coffee table, asking both if they wanted biscuits before leaving after a curt shake of the head from both.

"Harry, that's post-traumatic stress disorder. Telltale signs of it. Everyone who got caught up in the war dealt with it. Hell, I have flashbacks some nights, right back to the first war when I watched giants rip people open in the West Country Massacre. You've been a bloody idiot for keeping it in for this long. But it takes a lot of courage to admit it in the first place." Kingsley took his mug of tea and had a long gulp before starting up again.

"I don't know how open you are to the idea of therapy, but there's a service that runs at St Mungo's. I've used it myself and… it helped me. Don't worry about paying, it's all covered by the insurance." Harry looked down at his own mug of tea. Thinking.

"You're not weak for going Harry. You hear all that bollocks about being a 'real man' and 'keeping strong' but that kind of thing is absolute crap. If you need help, you get it." Kingsley drained the rest of his tea in another long gulp and got up, summoning Kreacher and thanking him for the tea, giving him the empty cup and handing him a bronze Knut in thanks.

"Don't worry about work, take as long as you need away from the department. I'll let everyone know I had a talk with you as well, and I'll say to leave you be until you're ready to talk a bit more. And please..." Kingsley looked at the pile of letters on the desk in the corner of the room and sighed. "Open your bloody post; most of that is Molly's writing, God forbid she sends a bloody howler."

Harry let out a laugh and had a sip of tea, getting up and giving Kingsley a hug. "Thanks Kingsley. Is it running now?"

"Yeah, I'll send a quick Patronus message. You want to go today?"

"I may as well, or else I'd be watching Muggle telly and eating in my boxers." Kingsley chuckled again and shook his head.

"To be honest, I'd rather watch telly than see the Prime Minister right now… I've ended up quite liking Holby City." Harry started laughing at this again, remembering how dramatic and strangely addictive hospital dramas were, and surprised that Kingsley of all people enjoyed it. "Don't look at me like that Harry, I had to stay in a lot of Muggle hotels when I was on the run, thank goodness for TV in every room."

Kingsley went to step out of the door before Harry stopped him. "Kingsley? I just wanted to say… thank you. I've shut a lot of people out but you got through to me today. I… I owe you one."

"Harry, I did it because I care. Now, I'll send the Patronus to St Mungo's once I'm in the car, they should have an appointment ready by about…" Kingsley looked down at his watch, a quizzical look on his face. "Half-one. It's eight-thirty now, so you've got time for a bath and a shave before going. You sure you want to go though?"

Harry simply nodded, wiping some of the sleep from his eyes that he hadn't earlier. "Yeah… gives me an opportunity to go somewhere other than the Chinese down the road." Kingsley grinned and said "That's the spirit… I'll send you an owl tonight, yeah? I hope this helps you Harry, don't feel beat up if it doesn't; it's not for everyone, but if this doesn't work then I'll sit down with you and we can work something out, alright? I'll see you later."

Kingsley walked off and waved, unlocking his car and stepping inside, Harry just making out Kingsley pulling out his wand, and his Patronus, a Lynx, sitting on the dashboard.

Harry closed the door and shouted out to Kreacher. "Kreacher! Are you there?"

"Yes Master Harry, has Mr Kingsley left?"

"Yes Kreacher… Can you run me a bath? As hot as possible?"

Kreacher nodded and for a second, let a smile twitch at the corners of his lips. "Did Mr Kingsley help you? Kreacher wanted to say something, but Kreacher was afraid..."

"No need to be afraid Kreacher… and yes. Kingsley helped quite a bit..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is the first chapter of the fic, strangely enough, so welcome! I found it quite hard to write this, as I was still getting my bearings with how I wanted the story to develop, plus it came with a lot of rust, as I haven't written anything longer than a one-shot for a long time. Hope it's not too bad, and I hope you keep reading and enjoy the story! If not, that's fine, art is subjective after all. :)
> 
> PS: There will be musical inspirations for most, if not all of the chapters after this, so so far, this is the only chapter title in mind without a reference to a song/band I like!
> 
> PPS: this is a rehost from FFN, and I'm reposting here to both get more people interested in my work, and as another place for my fics if something bad ever happens to FFN or my PC, God forbid! Happy reading :)


	2. Therapy?

Harry wandered in to the St Mungo's reception nervous and wringing his hands, anxious about being out of the house. He'd already run into a few worried well-wishers from work, and danced around the issue when asked what was up. "Oh… I needed a holiday." was all he cared to say, before rushing off.

"Right Harry… just walk up to the desk…." Harry muttered under his breath, the room rather scarily crowded. Easing up when no one paid any heed, he slowly approached the receptionist and cleared his throat.

Looking up from her crossword, the Welcome Witch asked in a bored voice "What are you here for Mr Potter?" Causing a good chunk of the room to look up, and the hair to prick up on the back of Harry's neck.

Looking around nervous, Harry muttered to the Welcome Witch, "Minister Shacklebolt said he'd sent a Patronus?" The witch's face softened and she leaned in.

"Ah… the therapy, we got that message a bit ago. Yes, we have you down for a consultation first off, to assess your needs. That'll be in around half an hour. Would you prefer to head in sooner though? I can pull some strings?" Harry shook his head gratefully.

"No thank you, I'm happy to wait."

The Welcome Witch gave Harry a rare, soft smile and said "No problem Mr Potter, just take a seat." Harry smiled and gave a quick thanks, and took a quiet seat in the corner near the water dispenser.

Taking a cup and filling it, he sat idly bouncing his leg, observing the room. He was quite happy no one seemed to recognise him that well, though he'd not changed that much since the depressive episode started, simply grown a slightly unkempt beard, keeping his fringe falling in front of his scar.

He only recognised one or two people, ones he'd gone to Hogwarts with. Distant acquaintances like Wayne Hopkins and Tracey Davis. Harry opted to stay quiet and avoid pleasantries, drinking from his water cup and grabbing a nearby copy of Witch Weekly. He balked at the head story though, and groaned quietly, rubbing his eyes.

"HARRY AND GINNY SPLIT UP!" Even Harry was surprised at how on the nose the title was, mumbling "At least Muggle magazines entice you in and tell you inside… bloody hell..."

He opened the magazine to the page with the article and read idly.

"The staff at Witch Weekly are delighted to inform," Harry groaned again in irritation. "That must be why I got quite so much post… thirsty witches."

"that Harry Potter's relationship with that wicked young go-getter Ginny Weasley is over! Ginny was spotted out and about without Harry just last week, and Harry's not been seen for nearly a month. Is it heartbreak? Has he already found a new love? Was it an affair? We speculate that Ginny had-" Harry put the magazine down in disgust and frustration, wringing his hands and resolving just to look at the floor instead.

* * *

He zoned out as multiple people checked in and left, and felt all the noises blur into one, still wringing his hands and focusing on one particular enticing crack in the tile floor, all until he felt pressure on the bench next to him, momentarily lifting his eyes.

He saw a short blonde girl with a thick hoodie on, the hood up and obscuring her face. He gave a short smile and shifted back in his seat, still bouncing his leg.

He was looking off in another corner of the room until he spotted the girl next to him pull out another magazine… the Quibbler. There was precisely one person he knew that read The Quibbler, and he started grinning uncontrollably.

"Been a while, hasn't it Luna?"

The girl pulled down her hood and smiled at Harry, in that distant, dreamy manner he'd gotten used to at Hogwarts. "You're not wrong Harry Potter. About two years since my count."

Harry took Luna in and found himself… concerned. Her dreaminess and general upbeat manner seemed darkened, and he took notice of the bags under her eyes, and saw some raw pain behind them.

"You've noticed I'm not quite myself, haven't you Harry?" She said quietly, looking back down at the Quibbler, thumbing through it idly and sighing. Harry was taken aback, and spluttered for a second before Luna stopped him.

"It's fine, don't get into a tizzy about it. I've not been quite well since I left Hogwarts. I… didn't take my house getting blown up well, as you can imagine, so I stayed at Hogwarts while Daddy helped to rebuild the place. He told me about what happened by the way, I don't bear him any ill will. He said to say that, if I ever saw you, to apologise. Well, he didn't put like that as he was both quite drunk and crying at the time." Harry chuckled at that, turning to face Luna fully.

"But the intention was there. Anyway, I took a year out after leaving school, spent a year in the Muggle world, worked at a zoo, it was lovely." Luna's smile turned from dreamy and innocent to sad and wistful, and she looked down at the Quibbler in her lap, putting a hand to her chin.

"Then, when I came home, something happened. It's not easy to explain, since it was so gradual. Everything went grey. Everything went plain. I thought it was Wrackspurts at first, but then I remembered they cause confusion, not depression. You know there's not a lot of resources in the Wizarding world about depression Harry?" Harry shook his head and sighed.

"It was barely easier in the Muggle world Luna. Always that stigma, that isolation. How many people told you 'Just be happy!' or 'You need to snap out of it'?"

Luna gave Harry an uncharacteristically wry smile. "You're on the mark, Harry Potter. I have a feeling you're here for the same reason as me?" Harry nodded and sat back on the bench.

"Yeah. Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived this morning and we had a chat about it. He could tell the black dog was on my shoulder. Is this your first time or have you been coming a while?" Luna shook her head and took a deep breath.

"No, I've been coming here for about half a year. Took something very… drastic to get me here. I won't say what, don't want to dump it all on you. Just something very horrid." Luna looked down again, glancing at her arms. Though she said nothing verbally, Harry could tell what, and he felt sadness for the first time in a long while.

"I'm, well, I'm bloody sorry to hear that Luna. I'm always open for a letter, or a visit to the pub, if you ever need to talk about it with someone friendlier."

"That's very kind of you Harry, to offer that. Thank you. Dr Voce said that kind of thing is really helpful in recovery. I think you'll end up seeing him as well, he's a specialist in depression from a… wizard's perspective." Harry nodded pensively and smiled.

"He seems to have helped you quite a bit."

"Oh, definitely. That's him now actually." Luna gestured upwards towards a tall, long-haired man with a kind expression, glasses perched on his nose. Waving to Luna, he called out Harry's name and gestured for him to come through. "Thanks for the chat Luna, it was… well, it was great seeing you. You still live with your dad?"

Luna nodded and smiled, back to that serene dreaminess she'd always been known for. "Yeah, Daddy's been taking good care of me since I came back." "Good, I know where to send the letters."

Luna's smile became very aware again, and she looked down, almost bashful and slightly embarrassed. "No problem Harry Potter. See you later on."

Harry waved to her as he followed Dr Voce into the hospital proper, and Luna sat with the Quibbler still on her lap, smiling to herself still.

She found herself thinking quite about Harry quite extensively in the wait for her appointment, remembering all those times he was so kind to her in school, how open he was with his struggles… and her heartache after losing contact with him.

She knew though, somehow, that she'd be seeing a lot of him after this. Something seemed to draw them together. Something she couldn't describe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This was another harder chapter to write, but it's also a good one for me, as it introduced quite possibly my favourite HP character possible! I've always liked Luna, since I feel a lot of kinship with the character; being the oddball in school and such, it was hard to NOT feel kinship. Musical inspiration for this title is the band Therapy? from Northern Ireland! Not normally my thing but they're not bad either :)


	3. The Great Pretender

he sun was getting low in the sky as Luna apparated to the front garden of her house, and she sighed quitely to herself as she unlocked the door and walked inside, placing her copy of the Quibbler from earlier on a nearby table. "Daddy, I'm home!" She shouted out, ideally to her dad, but maybe to no one in particular.

"Hmm… Daddy might be out fishing, he did want some Plimpy soup tonight..." She mumbled to herself, kicking off her trainers and heading up the staircase to her room, shutting the door behind her and letting out another sigh, this one of relief, as she laid down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling.

It hadn't changed at all, even after the Death Eater attack. The art, so lovingly crafted, of all of her Hogwarts friends, still stood there, untouched and unmarked. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville, all seemed to stare down at her, smiles on their faces. This never failed to comfort her in her difficult times, though at times, the warmth she felt from them seemed to dull, when her own world would go grey. The light never faded from the photo of her and her mum though, and she picked up the portrait to give it a closer look, as she did every day.

"Hello Mummy… I saw Harry Potter today, for the first time in, ooh, quite a while." She said to the photograph, with the image of her mum hugging a far younger version of herself waving up at her, almost as if to acknowledge she was there. Luna smiled wistfully again and stroked the picture frame.

"We had a very nice talk. Not very long, mind you, but very nice. He was at St Mungo's, waiting to see the same Dr I've been seeing lately. I think he was in a very… fragile state. The trauma of everything caught up with him I think. I could see the pain behind his eyes..." Luna looked out the window and saw the sun, still blazing in the glory of the late afternoon, and took a second to think.

"I didn't tell him about the worst of my pain, but I think he got the gist. I think you'd have liked him mummy, he's always been a very good friend of mine." She put the picture frame down and just laid there, looking up at the portraits she'd painted so long ago.

She'd been laying there quite a while until she heard a soft tapping at the window. A soft, quizzical "Mhm" escaped her lips as she looked up, and spotted a small tawny owl, a letter in its beak and looking up at Luna with large, dark eyes. Luna, surprised, opened up the window and brought the owl in, scratching the back of its head and giggling softly as the owl hooted in satisfaction. Taking the letter from its beak and kissing it on the head, she looked at the front of the envelope for a second and lit up, letting out an uncharacteristically perky "Ooh!" and almost ripping the envelope open. Harry had written to her! Giving a Knut to the owl, she kissed it on the head again and ushered it out, closing the window and taking the letter to her bed, sitting on the bed and reading by the light from the window.

* * *

_Luna,_

_It was really nice seeing you today, bit of a shame that it had to be in the St Mungo's waiting room though! You were about the first person I'd had a half-decent chat with for nearly a month aside from Kingsley this morning, it didn't go unappreciated._

_My appointment wasn't too bad, Dr Voce was lovely. He just asked me why I needed it, he gave me a short interview about what happened, though he didn't pry too much, which I really appreciated; was he the same with you? I'm gonna see him every week for a couple of months, and we'll see where it goes from there._

_I didn't get much of a chance to fill you in on what happened since I saw you last, so I'll give a bit of a rundown: I went straight to the Auror Office with Ron, I've been there ever since. Been about four years now give or take, should be five this year. I was with Ginny right up until a month ago, though I think you'll have heard the news by now, if not from the radio or magazines, then other people. Nothing nasty, it was very amicable and we're definitely going to stay friends. I'm actually gonna write to her and the rest of the Weasleys after I've sent this off, then I'll fill Kingsley in on what went on. Nothing too exciting, but things have been a bit tough as I mentioned earlier._

_Like I said earlier, it was good talking to you again, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a pint sometime? Doesn't just have to be us either, I can invite some of the old Dumbledore's Army gang, I'm sure everyone has missed you. You always did have that funny, quirky side to you, and I think Hermione would LOVE to hear about you working for a zoo; I'm assuming it was Bristol Zoo? Anyway, don't wanna keep going on, I'd love to hear back! No pressure though. Hope you have a nice rest of the day and say hello to your dad for me, won't you?_

_Harry_

* * *

Luna beamed a wide smile and folded up the letter carefully, putting it in the drawer of her bedside table and shifting up off the bed, taking her hoodie off and putting it on the chair under her desk. She cast an eye to the faint scars on her arm, her mood souring only for a second, before shaking her head and heading downstairs, spotting her dad walking in from fishing.

"Oh, Moonbeam!" Xenophillius trotted in and dumped his fishing gear in the living room, before wrapping Luna in a comfortable tight hug. Luna hugged back and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh Daddy, I've got some news! Guess who I saw at St Mungo's?" Xenophillius furrowed his brow for a second before looking up. "Dr Voce?"

"Oh feck off Daddy, I saw Harry Potter!"

Xenophillius' eyes went wide, he went slightly pale, and started to mumble. "Oh… um… uh, what did he say? He didn't mention the incident did he?"

Luna shook her head and smirked. "No, I did. He said he bears no ill will about it, he asked about you actually."

"And you told him I was okay?"

"No Daddy, I told him you got sent to Azkaban for hoarding Crumple-Horned Snorkacks under the house." Xenophillius smirked and headed into the kitchen with a clutch of Plimpies, setting some water to boil.

"Otherwise he was alright?"

"Yeah… all things considered. He went in to see Dr Voce too."

Xenophillius turned around and simply said "Oh. Mr Potter has his demons too, I see." Luna nodded sadly and followed him into the kitchen.

"He seemed quite haggard from everything that happened. I think it caught up with him; he seemed to bottle things quite a bit. He also… he invited me out to the pub with him, sometime soon."

"Really? Oh that's lovely! It'd be nice for you get out more! It'd do wonders for you. Are you going to take him up on it?" Luna thought for a second, and was preparing an answer before Xenophillius jumped in. "Especially considering how taken with him you were?"

Luna, again rather uncharacteristically, blushed a deep crimson. "Oh Daddy, I was a teenager then! He was always interested in Ginny Weasley too, I don't think he'd be interested in me like that."

"Oh bollocks Luna, you're a gorgeous young lady."Luna blushed again and put her hand in front of her mouth to suppress a giggle. "No Luna, you are. You're looking more like your mother every day. Now, if you don't want to go, that's fine. Keep in contact with him though, he's a nice lad. Now, I'm going to make dinner, and I know you're not up for Plimpy soup, do you want me to just do you egg and chips again?"

Luna nodded and kissed her dad on the cheek. "Thanks Daddy. I'm going for a bath, will it be ready by the time I get out?"

Xenophillius nodded and kissed her forehead. "Yeah, it'll be quick. See you in a bit Moonbeam." Luna trotted up the stairs and ran a bath for herself, scaldingly hot.

Leaving her clothes in a heap on the washbasket, she tied her hair and climbed in, thinking to herself. "Maybe that pint with Harry would be nice, and if he brings everyone else it'll be nice too..." Her thoughts drifted away as she started to bliss out, the bubbles and the hot water calming her racing mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Musical inspiration for this chapter is The Great Pretender - Freddie Mercury's version. I think it's a very appropriate song for Luna, as behind the Pollyana/Cloudcuckoolander front, I can imagine a damaged, but still fundamentally good person. :)


	4. Sigh No More

Harry awoke, for the first time in a long while, in his own bed. His apathy for doing much aside from eating junk food and watching Muggle television lead to him not even caring to go to bed, instead passing out on the sofa. So to wake up in his bed for a change, was more than welcome.

Putting on his glasses, he swept his legs out and stepped onto the floor, yawning widely as he got up and stretched. Feeling a satisfying 'click' in his neck, he stumbled to the bathroom and turned on the light, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

"Oh good lord..." he mumbled under his breath. The shave he'd done yesterday was irritatingly haphazard, and it showed in the rather obvious patches on his chin. Taking his wand from his pyjama pocket, he looked behind him and murmured "_Accio_ shaving foam", snatching the tube from mid-air and opening to begin the morning routine he'd planned with Dr Voce the day before.

* * *

"_I know it's subjective Mr Potter, but I've found that when **MY** struggles with depression are heaviest, simply going through with a morning routine can help clear the brainfog you'll feel upon waking. You've done something, something good, and it's always a good start. Putting it crassly is just… 'shit, shave, shower,' if you'll excuse my language of course."_

* * *

Harry grinned at this from yesterday and trimmed his facial hair without even thinking about it, idly shaving until he was satisfied with a heavy 5'o'clock shadow instead of the 'homeless alcoholic' look he was starting to cultivate. Getting dressed quickly, he headed downstairs to find more post on his desk. Having recycled all the letters from the thirsty witches who'd read about him being single, he managed to… still have entirely too many letters. He counted half a dozen from Molly Weasley alone, who'd no doubt give him a bollocking next time he saw her.

"Kreacher? Are you awake?" With a _crack_, Kreacher was at his side, making Harry jump for a second.

"Master is awake remarkably early! And shaven with care this time… perhaps Master Harry is feeling better."

"One day at a time Kreacher, one day at a time. I was wondering, can you put the kettle on? I'm going to have a cup of tea and go through the post at last." Kreacher simply nodded and apparated away to the kitchen, leaving Harry at the desk in the living room.

Having only written to Kinsgley, Luna and Ginny yesterday, the post was still fairly high, and he winced as he opened up the first letter from Molly and started to read it. _"Harry, we're starting to get a bit concerned; we know you and Ginny aren't together any more, and I understand why – I think it's best for now, for the pair of you – but we've not heard from you for a few days. Let us know?"_

The succeeding five letters were simply more and more panicked variations upon the theme, the last letter simply reading in incredibly intimidating block capitals "_HARRY POTTER WE ARE WORRIED SICK IF WE DON'T HEAR __FROM__ YOU SOON I AM APPARATING RIGHT INTO 12 GRIMMAULD PLACE AND I DON'T BLOODY CARE IF EVEN THE MUGGLES HEAR!"_ He had to hand it to Molly, she was protective and, quite frightening in the most well-meaning way.

He cracked open another envelope and saw it was from Hermione. He balked at opening it for a second, and had a sip of tea before opening it up and starting to read…

* * *

_Harry,_

_We've all been getting quite worried about you, but I could see the signs that you weren't 100%, to put it lightly. I could see that the pain of what went on during the war was starting to grind on you, and you started struggling more. Ginny told Ron and I when she… left you. She said you'd understand why she told us, I hope that's true. She told us about waking up in cold sweats, flinching when cars would backfire outside, or shutting down when you'd see people in masks and dark cloaks – I can tell Hallowe'en is rather nasty for you._

_It's affected all of us in ways we can barely comprehend Harry, but I wanted to let you know that you certainly aren't alone in this. We may not have suffered **exactly** what you went through, but we suffered alongside you. Bellatrix tortured me in Malfoy Mansion, Luna and Ollivander were imprisoned in their basement for months, all the horrible things that happened to Neville and the rest of the DA at Hogwarts, we all suffered. We know the harshness of that reality very well. Ron won't mention it, but he holds me tight when we go to sleep, and I keep hearing him mumble things like "I'm so sorry Hermione" or "I won't leave either of you again." He doesn't want to let either of us go again, like he did before._

_I remember reading a book on psychology when I was at home with Mum and Dad, and there was a part in it that I found quite profound, especially for such a dry reference book. "To the patient suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder in any of its insidious forms, they must remember this; they are not their trauma. They are not defined by their trauma, they are far more than the trauma they face. The patient has made it this far, and for that they should be very proud. From the darkest days, they can only go forward into lighter ones." If there's anyone that personifies that sentence as well as I think they do, it's definitely you Harry. You were always the strongest out of all of us, always shouldering the burden even when you could have walked away or given up. I know that Ron and I, as well as the rest of your friends – no, your family – owe you the world, and we couldn't imagine a world without you._

_If you need to visit us for a cup of tea, or even to stay the night when things are more difficult than you and Kreacher can manage, please don't hesitate to just apparate right in. I don't even care if Ron and I are… busy, we'll drop everything for you. We moved out from the Burrow last week, and we managed to get a lovely bungalow just a half-hour walk away, near the centre of town. We've got two spare bedrooms as well, so you're spoilt for choice. I do warn you, Ron's taken to Muggle music and he rather enjoys this dreadful band called Slayer, so… bring earplugs._

_I really hope we see you soon, but I understand if you want to give it a bit of time. Kingsley Shacklebolt dropped in the other day asking about you, I think he's going to visit you personally soon. Remember that we all dearly love you Harry, and we always will._

_Hermione xxx_

_PS: Ron sent a letter of his own… I call it a letter, it's a post-it note. It's about as expressive as he'll get but trust me, that's quite a big step for him in and of itself._

* * *

Harry didn't realise he was crying until a tear dropped down and smudged some of the ink, and laughed through the tears at the comment about Ron and Muggle music. "Ah, a man of good taste." He muttered to no one in particular.

Rifling around a bit, he found the letter from Ron… it wasn't much longer than a post-it note actually. "_Hope you're alright mate. -Ron_" Harry smirked and thought to himself "Yeah, that's about as Ron as it could get; just need him talking with a mouth full and it's there."

He grabbed a pencil and some parchment, and with the cup of tea Kreacher brought him he started scratching out replies, first to Molly, which was more full of reassurances and grovelling apologies than he felt comfortable writing but he could tell that she'd still give him a bollocking regardless, followed by a bear-hug and being force-fed treacle tart until his stomach burst. Then to Hermione, thanking her over and over again for the care, reassurances and love she'd shown. Then to Ron… _"Been better mate, getting better though -Harry"_

As he finished the note to Ron, a tawny owl flew in and dropped another letter on the desk, hooting softly as it landed and looked up at Harry, with its large, chocolate brown eyes. Harry smiled and scratched it by its neck, and smiled wider as it hooted in appreciation, before handing it a Knut and a piece of a biscuit Kreacher had brought with the mug of tea. Giving a thankful hoot, the owl flew off again, straight from where it came. He let out a small "Ooh!" when he noticed this letter was from Luna, and opened it carefully, taking another sip of tea before starting to read this one.

* * *

_Hi Harry!_

_Yeah, I enjoyed seeing you too, it's been quite a while hasn't it? I wish would have been better circumstances as well, but fate is a bit fickle, as I think you can tell. Glad I was the first half-decent chat you had too, I can say you did the same thing for me._

_Really glad to hear that the appointment went well, Dr Voce is excellent. We had a small chat about you actually when I went in, mentioned that you were very good to me in Hogwarts and all that. He didn't divulge anything, I think he's quite particular about patient confidentiality but he seemed to like you._

_I'd love to get out of the house, so yeah, a pint would be lovely! Some company other than daddy would be great, though I'm not as sure as you are that everyone's missed me; I was normally a pain in the arse, I think._

_Yeah, it was Bristol! Lived with a relative for the year I was there and it was fantastic! Such a nice city, especially compared to London. I could tell you far more but I don't think a letter would do it justice._

_Send a letter any time, or even pop in, I'm still in the Rookery with Daddy, like I told you, and that's not far from the Weasleys or Ron and Hermione. Looking forward to seeing you more often Harry Potter, hopefully soon._

_Luna!_

* * *

Harry grinned and put Luna's letter with Ron and Hermione's, starting to think aloud again. "She was never a pain in the arse… about as malicious as a puppy, slightly cuter." Rifling through the rest of the letters, he found a few letters from nosy journalists, instantly throwing them in the recycling bin, a few letters from work about assignments when he comes back, and somehow, a muggle letter about insurance.

Grimacing, he threw the non-important stuff away and looked down at his watch. "Bugger me, midday already? Better get a move on." He'd already planned to go visit Ottery St Catchpole, and with a quick word to Kreacher about cleaning up the mess, he Apparated away, a softer, quiet crack, echoing through 12 Grimmauld Place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: The letters in this chapter have been my absolute favourite things to write in the whole fic so far! I think it's a wonderful way to get an insight into the characters, show off a bit of their past, without making the rest of the work too purple in prose. Musical inspiration for this chapter is Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons! I've liked Mumford and Sons for years and they're inspiring a lot of this story so far. Sigh No More is appropriate for this chapter I think, as it's the start of Harry beginning to improve, and let the weight fall off his shoulders. Maybe hinting at further developments too. :)


	5. The A-Team

"_You've not seen your friends for… a fair while then, Mr Potter." "No, I just haven't been… ugh, I can't bear to look at them when I'm like this. What are they going to think? Probably that I'm broken, damaged goods."_

_"Mr Potter, forgive my language again but that sounds like bollocks. You mentioned how the post has been piling up, how much of that do you reckon is from your friends?" "I honestly couldn't tell you. Probably two-thirds, at a guess."_

_"So what makes you think they won't want anything to do with you? You see, this is one of the things this insidious little hound called depression does to people. It's followed on from the internalised feelings around your PTSD and started to manifest horribly. You're a smart man Mr Potter, you can outwit the black dog."_

* * *

Harry's mind was on yesterday again as he apparated into Ottery St Catchpole, and he wandered out of the small wooded clearing he'd apparated to and out into the main road through the town, spotting the high street and town centre just 5 minutes walk away.

Thumbing the wand in his pocket, he headed off down the road and into the village proper, thanking goodness it was a Saturday and no one was about. He kept going over the appointment with Dr Voce in his mind, again and again and again.

In just an hour and a half, he'd already felt as if someone actually understood the struggles his mind would put him through, and that he was not a freak, or broken; he was simply human, and this is a struggle that many other humans face. He was not alone and that gave him a vigour.

That vigour, however, didn't help in finding Ron and Hermione's new bungalow, and after losing himself in his thoughts and walking aimlessly through the village for about an hour, he came to the slow and really quite amusing realisation that he was thoroughly lost.

"Bugger." he said to no one in particular. He remembered that the bungalow was near the centre of town, but in which direction he hadn't the foggiest. He retraced his steps back through the town centre and was about to head north when he heard a familiar voice a few metres behind, quite a loud voice too.

* * *

"Hermione, if I have to stay out here digging for the bloody strawberry patch any longer I'm gonna flip. I need something a bit more than digging a few long holes in the ground." Harry grinned and turned around to walk in the direction of Ron's voice, slowly starting to hear Hermione's come into the fray as well.

"Ronald, you did worse back at the Burrow, I think you can manage a bloody strawberry patch. At least gnomes aren't trying to bite your ankles this time."

"Oi, that only happened once, and it bloody hurt. Their teeth aren't big but Merlin's beard that left a dent, I swear." Harry laughed quietly to himself as he heard Hermione laugh raucously, wanting to get the drop on them.

"Ron, it was there for three days, and you nearly cried! I can understand being scared of spider bites, but gnome bites? Good lord that's impressive." Harry heard Ron grumble as he went back to digging, cresting round a corner and having their bungalow come into view.

Hermione wasn't downplaying it in the letter; it was a lovely place. Grey brick exterior, lush front garden with a driveway and garage, and what looked like a bedroom in the loft. "Can see why Ron liked it then." Harry thought to himself, remembering Ron's room in the highest point of the Burrow fondly, though not his snoring by any stretch.

He could spot a shock of red hair past the side gate, and caught sight of Ron digging with a rusty spade, puffing and spluttering with indignation, though sneaking quite a few looks at Hermione and grinning like an idiot, proudly almost, before going back to moaning. Hermione was out there too, bushy hair tied into a loose bun as she pulled the weeds from the rest of the fruit patch, focused and barely acknowledging Ron's grumbling.

As Harry stepped into the front garden and approached the front door, he hesitated for a second. "They seem so happy already, so peaceful… maybe Hermione was just being nice with the offer, maybe they don't actually want me here… oh shit oh shit oh shit." Harry started to repeat to himself, getting into a bit of a panic, until he heard footsteps from the other side of the door.

"I'm just gonna get the door 'Mione, I think someone's lost." As the door opened, Ron opened his mouth and started to say "Hello" when he took in the sight of Harry in front of him. A few dozen thoughts came at once. "Blimey, has Harry gained weight?" "He's let his hair grow again." "The stubble suits him quite well actually." "The berk still owes me a galleon from the Quidditch bet." But only one, small sentence actually came out of his mouth. "Bloody hell."

* * *

Harry gulped nervously as Ron stood there staring. He felt his tension rising with every silent, passing second, and was prepared to apparate away until Ron grinned an ear-splitting grin, and shouted out behind him. "Hermione! Come here love, it's someone to see you!"

Nervous still, Harry started sweating, his palms going clammy, but was somehow unable to keep from grinning himself, that nervous energy slowly turning into excitement.

Hermione came into view behind Ron and was about to give a friendly greeting when she realised it was Harry, who was pleasantly surprised when she damn-near rugby tackled him into a hug tighter than a petite young lady like herself should be able to manage. Ron joined soon after and put his arm around Harry's neck and pulling tight.

"We missed you mate..." Ron trailed off as he wrapped tighter around Harry.

"Okay Ronald… between the two of you I can't breathe." They all shared a laugh and split off, Ron turning away to hide his slowly misting eyes.

"Come in, come in, we were just about to finish for the day anyway." Hermione nodded towards the house and headed in, pulling Ron by the hand and charming the door shut behind Harry as he walked in.

"Oh, Harry… no shoes in the house." Ron said through sniffles. "We put the new carpet down last week and I've already had a beating from Hermione for tracking mud through."

Hermione chuckled and looked back, adding "No Ron, you tread dog poo through the carpet. Honestly Harry, I can't take him anywhere."

Harry smirked and kicked his trainers off, giving Ron another hug and following Hermione into the kitchen. He barely had time to react before Hermione muttered "Before I forget..." whipped round and punched him in the ribs. Hard.

"HOW IN THE BLOODY HELL COULD YOU GO QUIET ON US LIKE THAT HARRY?!" Harry had forgotten, in that month full of brainfog and emptiness, just how protective and furious Hermione could get. "A MONTH, FOR GOODNESS' SAKE! WE CAME TO THE BLOODY DOOR, WE THOUGHT YOU'D DIED, OR GOTTEN ILL! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD HARRY!" Harry, still spluttering and clutching his ribs, attempted a reply.

"I'm… I'm sorry." He choked out before being swept into another hug.

"For God's sake Harry, don't go quiet on us like that again. Or I swear I will actually break your ribs this time."

* * *

Harry couldn't tell at first how long he'd spent at Ron and Hermione's home, but judging by the moon starting to rise and the ache in his jaw from laughing so hard, it'd be a few hours. He'd missed them, more than he thought.

"We heard from Kingsley yesterday evening when we got in from work, so we knew you'd be on a better path. We got the letters just before you arrived too. Ron appreciated his… post-it note in return." Ron snorted and looked away.

"Yeah… Hermione made me write that."

"Oh sod off Ron, you'd sent it before I had the chance to finish mine."

"Guys… it really was appreciated. Surprised me how much everyone cared." Hermione leaned over and squeezed Harry's hand. "Of course we care, you think we'd discard you if you had a rough time?" "Yeah… Mum would kick my head in if I did that."

Harry laughed again and took a sip from his mug of tea, looking down at it with slight guilt. "Yeah, I got all six of her letters. I'm surprised she didn't send a Howler."

"She was about to when we heard from Kingsley. Wand out and everything. She'd have apparated right in and mothered you." Ron shook his head and smiled again.

"Ginny's been worried too. How are you doing with that by the way? I know she was the one who ended things, but she said you understood?" Hermione asked, still holding Harry's hand.

Harry finished his tea and put the mug down, looking away again. "Yeah… I can't blame her. I can't say the love didn't sort of fade before then either. Don't get me wrong; still gonna be one of my best friends, but she was right to end things with me I think. I don't think I'm too much into relationships right now. Got to… get 'better' first."

Hermione leaned back and nodded, linking Ron's hand with hers. "That's fair.. a mature outlook on it too. A lot of people will just stay in because they're scared. But… if someone right does come along, and they help you… don't push them away. Sometimes it can work out."

Harry smiled appreciatively, and stood up, moving over to give Ron and Hermione as tight a hug as he can muster, before pulling away. "Sorry to cut it so short, but I'm getting… quite tired. First day of normality in quite a while. You understand."

Hermione nods. "Of course. You can take the Floo if you want, just… remember your shoes first. Ron didn't when he visited George the other day and he had to work in the shop barefoot."

Ron snorted again and looked down at his feet. "Still got bloody callouses."

"_Accio _shoes." Harry flicked his wand towards the shoe rack and grabbed them out of the air, walking to the fireplace. "Oh… I was gonna say, how do you two feel about going to the pub one of these days? I spoke to Luna Lovegood yesterday, invited her out for a pint if she was up for it, wondering about you two as well."

"You saw Luna? How's she doing? I see her in town sometimes but I don't want to bother her, she seems like she's got a lot on her plate." Hermione leaned again.

"She's… in much the same position as me. I don't know much but it seems pretty heavy. Anyway… how do you two feel about it?"

"Yeah, we've not spoken to her in ages, it'd be lovely. Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yeah, thought that'd be easier. I'll work something out. Anyway… see you two later. Love you two… God, better leave before I get sappier." Ron laughed and stopped Harry before leaving, giving him a tight hug.

"Keep safe mate. For us." Harry nodded, and Flooed away back to Grimmauld Place. He felt lighter. Happier. For the first time in a while… he FELT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Musical inspiration for this one is A-Team by Ed Sheeran. Lyrics don't QUITE fit, but I don't think I'd get away with just having the A-Team theme song being the inspiration. Plus... I think it's a lovely song. :)


	6. Broken Smile

"_Harry Potter… the boy who lived… come to die."… flashes of green light…"HARRY!"… "You see? Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"_

* * *

Harry woke in a sweat, breathing heavily and instinctively flicking his wand out in front, shattering a light fixture with a blast of offensive magic. The crash of the fixture upon the floor broke Harry from his post-nightmare stupor, and he leaned over to put his feet on the floor, laying his face in his hands.

He started to sob, his chest heaving and his face burning hot, with fear, anger and deep-seated pain. The first time in a week, that he'd woken like this. And every time, he wishes it was the last.

* * *

Luna stood poised over the kitchen sink, a carving knife in her hands, her face hot with tears. The blade was mere inches from her skin, and her mind was howling at her to make the cut, but with a pained scream, she threw the knife aside and collapsed on the floor, weeping. Xenophilius woke sharply, and within an instant was down in the kitchen with Luna, holding her tightly, soothing her until the crying turned to quiet sobs, and the sobbing turned to sniffing.

* * *

Harry woke again hours later, haggard and feeling… off. "One of those days already, I see." He mumbled to himself, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and forcing himself out of bed for his 'shower-and-shave' routine. It did help, it woke him… but the apathy was there, in droves.

The brainfog, the subtle emptiness.

Wanting to pull him back.

He fought it however, and managed to get himself dressed and ready for the day. Before leaving the bedroom, he looked over to where the light fixture had fallen, and saw the spot empty, with the light back on the wall. Smirking, he muttered "Kreacher… you're soft inside really."

* * *

Luna sat on a bench outside, a sketchpad in her hand and colouring pencils on the bench next to her. Restless after her almost-relapse, she wandered outside to watch the sun rise, sketching it idly as it came, the sunbeams cresting over the horizon. She sighed heavily, the incident weighing on her mind.

"The first time in nearly six months..." She mumbled to herself as she fetched an orange pencil, shading the early morning sky. With the finishing touch applied, she smiled to herself. A proud smile, but a sad one too.

Her moments of creativity were often provoked by her moments of darkness, something she regarded as… bittersweet. Standing up, she headed back inside, shouting out to her father. "Daddy, I think I got the orange shading just perfect this time..."

* * *

"It happened Dr. It happened this morning. First time since last week."

"What… the nightmares?"

Harry nodded and started wringing his hands. "It kept flashing between that last fight in Hogwarts, and when Voldemort killed my mum. It felt real, it felt… like I was there again. I woke up and I blasted a light off the wall, it was that real." Dr Voce nodded and took a few cursory notes.

"First time since you saw me last week you said? I can tell you're a bit off today… would you prefer to give today a miss?" Harry shook his head and started bouncing his leg, nerves starting to pick up.

"Okay, that's fine. That's good actually. Mr Potter, there will be days that the darkness creeps up on you again, even when you're bettering yourself, or even in the future when you're largely – I hate to say normal – okay. These days WILL happen, and the action you've taken today is such an important one. You got up DESPITE your apathy, and the black dog being on your shoulder. That's commendable. I'll say as well, there will be days you CAN'T get out of bed, and fail to shake the brainfog and get rid of the black dog. That's okay as well. They happen. Hell, they happen to me sometimes. But remember something. You're not defined by what happened to you during the war. You're not defined by the trauma you experienced from the Dursleys. You are not your trauma."

Harry smirked and looked up at Dr Voce. "There's a Muggle psychology book with a part very similar. Any inspiration?" Dr Voce chuckled softly, looking off at nothing in particular.

"If I know the one you're talking about Mr Potter, that's my brother's. He's a Squib, he went off to study it from a Muggle perspective. Coincidences are… amazing, sometimes. Now Mr Potter, I remember you mentioned last week you were planning a sort of gathering at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yeah… this evening actually. A handful of my friends from Hogwarts, we're going to sit in a function room and probably get hammered."

"Well I don't recommend getting hammered… but enjoy yourself. You deserve it Mr Potter."

* * *

"So… Luna. Oh lord… You were close to relapsing with the self-harm?" Luna nodded and sniffed, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie.

"Yeah. I couldn't do it. I mentally couldn't hurt myself again. That's good at least, isn't it?"

"Well, yes. That's good. What provoked the urge though, if you don't mind me asking? What made you… what made you want to?"

"That fear. That fear of… of the whispers between people. Of people at the feckin' pub. "Oh look, it's Loony Lovegood! Why is she here?" and that kind of thing. I tried to never let it get to me at Hogwarts, but it… oh god it hurt. I'm not prepared to let it happen again." Luna pulled down the beanie hat sitting on her head, her hair hanging in a long braid down her shoulder.

"I don't even think people will be happy to see me. I'll just be a hanger-on."

"Luna, that's not true and you bloody well know it. The thing is about school is that teenagers and kids are the cruellest people imaginable. Getting all those people in the same building, hormones raging, lets loos some horrible things. That affected you more than you let on to people. Bottling it is never good." Dr Voce pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, leaning forward.

"You were at the other end of some pure evil, but you came out the other side. What kept you going then?"

"Well… my friends. Harry Potter and the like."

"Did any of those friends betray you?" Luna looked away and started to fiddle with the end of her braided hair, muttering a short "No. Never."

"Well then Luna, that answers that. And you don't have to worry about it being loads of people either, do you? How many people did Mr Potter mention were going to this gathering?"

Luna thought for a second, thinking on the note she'd received this past Wednesday.

"_I booked the function room for about half seven! You can come as early or as late as you'd like, and you've got nothing to worry about. Just me, Hermione and Ron, Ginny, __Neville and his wife (she runs the pub). Nothing extensive."_

"Only about six people Dr."

"That sounds ideal. Listen Luna, I know it's easy to just give platitudes like 'relax' or 'ease in to it', but that's what I recommend. I can tell last night left you a bit fragile. Take it easy, yeah?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is the darkest chapter so far, and was the hardest for me to write personally as... well, I've been in that exact situation Luna was in further back in the chapter. But... oh well! She didn't relapse and neither did I, so that's a start! Musical inspiration is Broken Smile (My All) by Lil Peep; a dude that I only got into after his death, and regret it immensely.


	7. In Between Days

It had become a habit, a nervous habit. "Harry, you're wringing your hands again." Ron said over the table, already eating a bread roll, earning an irritated punch from Hermione.

"You keep doing that…"

"Sorry. Picked up the habit a little while ago and I can't really seem to shake it. Just… do you she's gonna turn up? I've not heard from her for a while."

"Didn't you see her at St Mungo's today?" Hermione asked, having to nudge Ron again for grabbing another bread roll.

Harry shook his head, and leaned forward a bit. "Nah, I think she may have had a later appointment. I apparated straight to Diagon Alley as well..."

Almost on queue, the door to the function room cracked open, and a short blonde girl poked her head in. "I could hear Ronald eating from down the hall, I'm assuming this is the right room." Luna said with a wry smile, provoking an eruption of laughter, even from Ron.

Harry shot up from his seat and went straight away to hug Luna, who let out a surprised squeak at being hugged so tight. "You're glad I came, aren't you Harry?" Harry simply nodded into her shoulder, before pulling back and… getting embarrassed at the amused stares from everyone else in the room. Ginny in particular, stifling a laugh.

"What… I was worried." Harry hurriedly headed back to his seat and started drinking, Firewhisky in his glass. Luna took the seat next to him and started to relax. She'd been fraught with panic before walking in, but… that hug calmed her down. More that she thought it would.

* * *

Outside, in the beer garden, Ginny and Hermione were sharing some private talk away from the lads and Luna, who was currently deep in conversation with Ron about Muggle music. "Listen Ron, Metallica haven't been good since the Black Album! They've never managed to beat Ride the Lightning, really."

"Alright, I'll agree on Ride the Lightning being the best, but you and I BOTH know that St Anger was good."

"What on earth have you been smoking?!"

They heard from inside, and Hermione was groaning in annoyance. "It was bad enough when it was just Ron and my Dad!"

Ginny giggled and took a sip of Butterbeer. "It's been quite funny actually. Who knew Loony Lovegood would end up being into that? Well, there's worse things to be surprised by."

"It's been nice seeing her, if truth be told. I've seen her in town a few times, shared a wave and a friendly chat, but never actually talked to her. Always expected her to talk about Crumpy-Corned Tackbacks or something or other." They shared a small laugh and looked up at the dimming night sky.

"Have you seen the looks Harry's been giving her?" Ginny giggled.

"I was **just** about to say that! He's blatantly got a thing for her. Do you think Luna knows?"

"Hermione, I don't even think Harry knows. You know him; brilliant, but just a **bit** slow on the uptake. Ooh, he's doing it again!"

They both looked inside and caught Harry sneaking a glance at her. A soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched her talking animatedly, before he caught sight of Ginny and Hermione looking in and quickly turned back to Neville, probably talking about Quidditch, or Neville's greenhouse at Hogwarts.

Hermione and Ginny turned back around and started snickering. "Safe to say you and him are… 'over' each other then."

Ginny nodded and nursed her Butterbeer some more. "Yeah. We both thought it was best anyway, we're both… quite different. Not as different as Luna mind you, but different in the ways that matter." Hermione looked down at her glass of wine and ran her finger along the rim.

"Luna used to fancy Harry, you know?"

Hermione looked up in mild shock. "You're joking!"

"No, she told me before she left for Bristol. Said she used to sketch pictures of her and him all the time, showed me one or two actually. They were all really… nice, and normal. I know that sounds weird, but for something Luna does to be normal, it's quite impressive."

"Do you think she still does?" Hermione asked, gulping her wine down.

Ginny nodded slightly. "I think there's an inkling of it still. She blushes when he talks to her, you can just about notice it. It's happening again… look."

They both turned their necks again, to see Harry and Neville getting involved in the music discussion. "No Ron, Luna's 100% right, Metallica haven't been ANY good since the Black Album!" Harry interjected, and, true to Ginny's prediction, Luna blushed. Turned away and hid under her fringe so no one would notice, but she still blushed.

"For God's sake, Harry as well?!" Hermione jokingly pulled at her hair. Ginny started laughing again and patted Hermione's arm.

"Don't worry, you won't hear about their music from me." They looked up at the sky again, drinks still in hand.

"Do you reckon she'd be good for him?" Ginny turned to Hermione with a "Hmm?" before realising what Hermione had said, and turned back to the sky.

"Oh, yeah. Better than I was… well, hopefully."

* * *

"I didn't think you smoked Neville?" Ron asked before gulping the last of his pint, having followed him outside to get away from the noise. "Picked it up in't last year of Hogwarts. Carrows breathing down my neck all the bloody time, I needed something that wasn't jamming a fork in their eye."

Neville took a drag from the cigarette and flicked some ash in the ashtray near him. Ron snorted and opened the bag of crisps he took out with him.

"'Ere, have you noticed all them looks Harry keeps giving Luna?" Ron looked up mid-bite and, rather characteristically, spoke with a full mouth.

"Oh yeah… He's probably just happy to see her. He said the other day that she'd not been great lately."

"No, no, you lump. The **looks** he keeps giving her. Them looks like "I'd like to get you on that table and-""

"Oh, Merlin, no!" Ron put his hands up as Neville laughed, Ron's expression turning sour. "I don't think it's anything like that Neville. He'd have said something."

"Have you forgotten how thick he can be with girls Ron? I know he's not been in the best of places but he's definitely not changed that much. Every chance he gets he's looking at her like he's hypnotised. Half surprised he's not started talking about them 'Nargles' or 'Slimply-Quorned Nutbags'."

Ron nodded as he munched on another handful of crisps, wiping his hands his trousers. "Yeah… he's been a bit weird around her. Weirder than her actually, didn't expect that."

"That year changed her, you know. I went out with her the summer after the war if you remember right. Lovely, fantastic, but she was… different after all that. Sadder. Bit more grounded, but… I think it broke her in a way."

"Being trapped in a dungeon for a few months will do that to you mate." Ron said darkly, taking another long sip from his pint.

"Did like her talking about working in Bristol Zoo though."

"Yeah, sounded proper happy didn't she? And she picked up a sweet taste in music living there too." Ron smirked, downing the rest of his pint. "She's right about St Anger being shit though isn't she Ron?"

"Oh piss off Neville."

* * *

Harry had been sat on his own in the beer garden for a good 20 minutes before someone came out to join him. He was deep in thought and drinking his Firewhisky, privately… quite satisfied with how the night had gone. At every point, he expected something bad. Best-case scenarios, worst-case scenarios.

What if Neville and Hannah had had to close the pub at short notice? What if Ron and Hermione got splinched while apparating up to London? What if… no, he couldn't think about that.

Of all the people he'd been happy to see… he'd been happiest to see Luna. He'd not seen her since last week, but they'd been writing non-stop. A letter every day, sometimes two. Everything about her life in Bristol for the year she was gone, the sketches she was working on that day, and… why she self-harmed. That was hard for Harry to read.

_"I can't believe it got to you that much Luna. You always put on such a brave front… you know we'd have all supported you every single step. You know __**I **__would have supported you." _He'd put in one such note. He'd bristled with anger as he'd read it, he remembered the hot, angry tears.

He'd been thinking about her a lot that entire week. She was his first thought on waking - "I should cheek the post, see if she's replied..." - and his last thought on sleeping. "Night Luna..." he'd mumble as he drifted to sleep. Harry hadn't even noticed it, in truth. He'd done it to an extent for all of his friends. The last time he had thought of someone like this was… well, it was Ginny.

He wondered for a second if any of it was prompted by romance, or attraction, but shook it off. "I'm not up for a relationship right now." He told himself. "It wouldn't be fair on Luna." Was another comment, though the surety of that was something he wasn't altogether sold on.

It wasn't until he felt a presence on the bench next to him, and a warm hand envelop his own that he was pulled away from his thoughts. "Penny for your thoughts Harry Potter." He heard the unmistakable, dreamy, lilting Irish accent and immediately started beaming.

Scratching behind his ear, he turned to Luna and saw those shimmering silver-grey eyes, reflecting in the moonlight perfectly. "Oh… nothing important. Nothing… important." Harry trailed off, lost for a second. Coughing to bring himself back to reality, he turned away but kept his grip on Luna's hand.

"I've had a lovely time Harry. I was really surprised at how happy everyone was to see me. I started off the day being… far from optimistic." She subconsciously squeezed his hand harder and looked up at the moon. "I did a sketch of the sunrise this morning. Want to see it?"

Before Harry had a chance to reply, she'd already grabbed the drawing out of her bag and unfolded it. Pulling her wand out, she whispered a quick "_Lumos" _and put the light to the paper, showing Harry a firey, vibrant sunrise.

"Oh… oh that's bloody stunning! You did that this morning?"

Luna nodded proudly and ran her thumb up Harry's hand. "Aye… I finally got the orange right, I think."

"I should bloody think so, that's near perfect." Luna started to blush and squeezed Harry's hand very hard, hiding her face with her fringe again.

"You're going to inflate my ego Harry, we can't have that." Luna snickered, shifting closer to Harry without realising. "Just a shame that it came in… less than ideal circumstances." She said sadly, looking up at the moon. Harry straightaway looked concerned and turned to her.

"What… why not ideal?" She sighed and kept her gaze at the moon.

"I nearly relapsed this morning. 4am. I was… well, I'd woke up from a nightmare. Girls stealing my clothes again. This time while I was still wearing them. In the Great Hall. That one happens a lot in my nightmares. Then I was back in the basement of Malfoy Manor, chained up, that horrid Bellatrix Lestrange screaming at me about "being a freakish blood traitor" and flicking curses at me."

Harry squeezed Luna's hand hard, shaking with newfound anger. "That caused the… almost relapse this morning?"

Luna just nodded and looked down at her trainers, almost in shame. "Yeah. I didn't do it. Didn't want to upset Daddy. Or you. I knew you'd be beside yourself."

"Damn right..." Harry shuffled closer and put his arm around Luna, holding her hand still.

"Anyway… a lot of my better moments with my art comes after a time like that. Double-edged sword really."

"You're here now though Luna. With us. You're happy, you're safe… you like Metallica, as we all found out." Luna laughed and patted Harry affectionately at that. "That's what matters. We're your friends. Screw the past. Screw the trauma. We are NOT our trauma."

Luna smiled up at Harry. "Dr Voce?"

Harry looked down and stopped for a second. Those eyes shone, and bore into him like a drill. That porcelain, smooth white skin, and the braid down her shoulder, reflected the moonlight perfectly. Well, perfectly to him.

"Dr Voce." Harry leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, feeling Luna relax. For a moment, he thought he heard her squeak in satisfaction and happiness, before she came up and gave him a kiss on the cheek in return.

They sat there, close together in an embrace for another 20 minutes before Neville came out for another smoke. "You two alright there?"

Luna nodded dreamily and kept running her thumb up Harry's hand. "Yeah… just had a long talk, that's all. Oi, did Luna show you this?" Harry proudly handed the sketch to Neville, who let out a low whistle.

"That orange is bloody perfect Luna."

"You're not the first to say that. Ooh, I was going to say..." She flicked the top of her bag open with her wand and _accio'_ed out another sketch. "This one… I had copies made for you all. It's of all of us. Thought I'd bring a present."

Neville's eyes lit up and he took a moment to take a long drag from the cigarette before saying anything. "This is lovely Luna. This is… this is mine?" Luna nodded. "Oh thank you!" He came in for a quick hug, eyes misting. "This is… this is lovely. I'm gonna go get Hannah to frame this, I'll be back."

Neville ran off back into the pub, ignoring the others shouting after him, and the shout of Hannah to "PUT THE BLOODY FAG OUT NEVILLE!"

Luna giggled and looked up at Harry again. "I'll give the other copies to everyone when we leave for the night, yeah?"

"Yeah." Came the quiet, measured response from Harry. He hugged Luna tighter and looked up at the moon. "Give it to them then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This has been one of my favourite chapters to write so far! Luna coming out of her shell a little bit has been so lovely to write, and Ginny being so welcoming was a nice change to see, since I've seen so many Ginny-bashing fics and I don't think that's fair on her character! Musical inspiration is In Between Days by The Cure. The Cure are going to turn up a fair bit in this fic as inspirations, much like Mumford and Sons, so be prepared for it! For the record... I actually liked St Anger, i'll disagree with Luna on that point! :)


	8. Panic Station

"_I'll give the copies to everyone when we leave for the night, yeah?" "Yeah… give it to them then."_

* * *

For a first day back at work, Harry knew he'd picked a good one. After seeing Dr Voce that morning, he'd headed straight into the Ministry and took his desk in the Auror's Office, much to practically everyone's surprise. Ron was particularly happy.

"Thank Merlin you're back mate, I'm bored out of my bloody mind." Harry, still a bit shaky with his nerves, grinned and sat down, right away grabbing a quill and some parchment.

"Oh god."

"Oh god what?" Harry looked up at Ron, puzzled.

"You're writing a letter again, aren't you Harry?" "Well observed Ron."

"It's to Loony Lovegood isn't it Harry?" "Well observed Ron."

"You love her, don't you Harry?" "Well ob-" Harry caught himself and shot Ron a death glare, who was grinning like an idiot at that point.

"Almost caught you out with that one, didn't I?" Through gritted teeth, though quite amused himself, he grunted "Well observed Ron."

Ron sat back in his chair and rested his feet on the desk. "It beats paperwork I suppose. That being said, we haven't even had much of that to do while you've been away. Feels like everyone shady has gone on holiday."

"I'd rather have that than another war." Harry was scribbling away, almost frantically, and suddenly flicked his wand, turning the letter into a memo and sending it to float off to the Ministry's post office.

"Are you gonna tell me what was in that letter Harry?" "Probably not Ron." Harry shifted back in his chair, and breathed a quiet sigh.

"Well… alright. I just wrote it asking if she wanted to grab a bite to eat tonight."

"Like a date?" Ron arched an eyebrow, reaching into one of his desk drawers and pulling out a bag of fudge sweets.

"No, not like a date. I'm not really ready for that."

"Mate, it sounds like a date. Last week at the pub you were all cuddled up with her on the bench outside, you've been sending each other letters every day for two weeks. If you're not falling for her then I'll suck on Merlin's saggy left-" Harry cut him off and cringed far heavier than he thought possible.

"I do NOT need that image in my head Ron, good lord. Listen… I like her. Quite a lot. We've gotten close lately. It's not like that, honest. I don't think she feels that way either." How sure Harry was of that statement though, was another thing entirely. One thing was for sure… that sketch of everyone that Luna gave out took pride of place on Harry's desk, and the sunrise sketch sat neatly on his bedside table.

* * *

It'd been a week since Luna had seen Harry and the rest of her friends, and since then something had been clouding her mind, fogging it up at rather irritating moments with rather irritating regularity. She was deep in thought and working on some more art in her sketchpad, sat on the couch in the living room when she heard her dad speak, and looked up at him, her focus shaken. "What was that Daddy?"

"I said, penny for your thoughts Moonbeam." Xenophilius was hard at work on his side of the room too, working on articles for the Quibbler, his focus particularly on one such article surrounding powdered dragon scales being used as a… marital aid, and his personal disgust at the commodification of such a wonderful creature.

"It's not often the Wrackspurts get in your head like this sweetie. What is it?" Luna looked down at the art she was working on… she'd not even really noticed it, having gotten carried away but she inspected it closer and realised that…

"Oh no." She mumbled to herself. Putting her head back and covering her face with her hands, she groaned in annoyance, with a hint of relief.

"Judging by that tone of voice, the exasperation, and the fact that you've managed to get charcoal on your face, my best guess is you fancy someone again." Xenophilius smirked and kept typing away, his half-moon glasses resting on his head. "You are so far from subtle Moonbeam, it's unreal."

"I knew it was weird when I broke out the charcoals again. Oh feck…" Luna removed her hands from her face, prompting Xenophilius to giggle incessantly, Luna blushing furiously in embarrassment. "I only get the charcoals out when I fancy someone, why do I only realise too bloody late?!"

Xenophilius stopped typing for a second and got up, walking slowly over to Luna on the sofa, taking a seat. Placing his glasses back on his face, he turned to her and said. "Who is it then?" Luna turned and looked at him, before looking down at the charcoal sketch. She handed the book to him and buried her face in a throw pillow, groaning with irritation. He looked closer and started giggling again.

"Oh Luna… Harry again? I should have known. You two have been speaking to each other an awful lot lately, and… well, I remember what you told me about the pub."

"It was just a hug daddy." She grunted, burying her face deeper still.

"A hug that you didn't move out of for over half an hour. On the bench, in the beer garden. With the moon bearing down on you. I distinctly remember you telling me "Oh, it was lovely daddy, I could have fallen asleep!"" Xenophilius kept giggling as Luna's groans of embarrassment and irritation grew louder.

It was at this point that there was a tapping on the living room window, and a familiar tawny owl was there, holding a small envelope in its beak and looking in curiously. Looking up, Luna headed straight for the window as Xenophilius fully burst into laughter, the charcoal handprints on Luna's face pushing him over the edge. Shooting him a dirty look as she opened the window, she scratched the owl behind the neck and kissed his forehead again, taking the note gratefully and handing him a Knut, before ushering him off.

"Ooh. Ooh! Ooh, he's sent another one." Luna started getting flustered, making Xenophilius laugh even harder, leaning over and holding a newly-formed stitch in his side. Luna carefully but quickly opened up the envelope and unfolded the letter, reading it aloud.

* * *

"_Hi Luna!_

_I was wondering if you were free tonight, for a bite to eat? I'm coming home with Ron from work today – by the way, my first day back! Makes a change from being stuck in 12 Grimmauld Place all the time – and I'll be in Ottery St Catchpole until… probably tomorrow. It doesn't have to be anything posh, I know there's a really nice chip shop in town so we can just sit on a bench and eat from the paper! I know you're vegetarian but… well… mushy peas are vegetarian, right?_

_Anyway, I might not reply right away, I'm still at work until about four this afternoon, so _ _it's probably quicker to send a Patronus message. No pressure at all though, so if you're not too up for it, I won't blame you! Though I'll still probably come visit to see how you are._

_Harry_

_PS: I had both of the sketches framed, the one of all of us in on the desk at work… I kept the one of the sunrise on my bedside table. Pretty good thing to wake up to!_

* * *

Luna blushed hard and started hyperventilating. "Ohmyword ohmyword ohmybloodyword HE INVITED ME OUT!" Xenophilius started laughing again and got up, putting his hands on Luna's shoulders. "Moonbeam… calm down a bit. You so rarely get flustered like this. Listen… go clean up, and sent Mr Potter that Patronus message. I've got to get on with my article anyway."

Xenophilius ushered Luna out of the room as she was still excitedly muttering "ohmywordheaskedmeout" under her breath and vibrating with excitement.

She rushed off to her bedroom and cast a short Patronus charm, casting her mind… back to last week. On the bench, with Harry Potter.

* * *

Ron and Harry had just come back from lunch to find a blue, wispy looking hare on Harry's desk, tapping its foot impatiently.

"Okay… there's a hare on your desk Harry." "Well observed Ron."

"I think… that's Luna's Patronus, right?" "Well observed Ron."

"You love her, don't you Harry?" "Piss off Ron."

Ron snickered as he headed to his desk, and Harry sat down to face the Patronus, and before he could say anything a quick burst of speech erupted from its mouth.

"YESHARRYPOTTERIDLOVETOCOMEOUTFORDINNERWITHYOUTHECHIPSHOPISFINEOKAYTHANKYOUBYE" Harry went backwards in shock and yelped as it popped away as quickly as it'd passed on the message.

"Is… is that what Luna's like when she's flustered Harry?" "...well observed Ron."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This has been another favourite, and I think having Luna turn into a flustered Genki Girl is very appropriate as well as completely and utterly adorable. Musical inspiration is Panic Station by Muse... I think that's very appropriate for Luna's reaction, to be honest. :)


	9. A Kind of Magic

Harry apparated in alongside Ron, and kicked off his work shoes to head in to the kitchen and make himself a cup of tea. "You nervous Harry?" Ron asked after him, unbuttoning his shirt and taking off his jacket.

Harry nodded. "Bricking it, if I'm honest. It's not even a bloody date." Ron smirked again and grabbed a can of cola from the fridge. "You tell yourself that enough Harry, you'll end up believing it."

Harry threw a teabag into a mug and flicked his wand at the kettle, putting it to the boil. "Look, I'll set the record. Is she attractive? Yeah, of course she is. Is she absolutely lovely, inside and out? Yeah. Is she interested in me in **that** way? Don't be daft. Besides… I don't think I'd do her any favours. 'Boy-Who-Lived' and all that, it's not fair on her. She's… she's fragile." Harry sighed and flicked the fridge door open and _accio_'ed the milk, simultaneously taking the kettle off and pouring the water into his mug.

"Harry… don't… ugh. Listen, Hermione said something to you two weeks ago that you need to remember. "_If someone right does come along, and they help you… don't push them away. Sometimes it can work out._" If you really are sure it wouldn't be right, then that's fine. But… don't push her away or hesitate because you're afraid of her getting put in any firing lines."

Harry poured the milk into his tea and looked down, watching the milk slowly swirl into the water. He took the teabag out and thought to himself. "Maybe… maybe Ron's right. I'm hesitating. I'm… scared of what's gonna happen."

Ron took a seat on the kitchen island next to Harry and patted his back. "Listen mate… I can tell a mile off that you and Loony are-"

"Luna. Her name is Luna."

"Right… sorry. I can tell a mile off that you and Luna are, for a word, nuts about each other. One or two letters a day. That time at the pub last week. Don't think we didn't see it, you were right by the sodding window. Ginny was bloody fawning over the pair of you for Merlin's sake."

Harry snorted into his tea and burnt his tongue, uttering a quick curse and stepping away from the kitchen island. Patting himself down, he turned back to Ron. "Yeah… I didn't really notice. I didn't step outside at all until that last hour or so. I'll admit… she gives fantastic hugs."

Ron smiled up at him and took a sip of his drink. "I just think… well, you've got Ginny's blessing. To get the ex-girlfriend's blessing is a bloody good sign if I'm honest. If you want to go for it, go for it. If you don't, don't. And if you're scared, of what'll blow back on her, or if you're scared about not being good enough… you're nuts."

* * *

Luna was sitting at the mirror in her bedroom, nervous. It probably wasn't worth being so nervous over, going to the bloody chip shop with a man she'd had a thing for since school.

"No, not worth it at all." she thought aloud. She'd only spent a solitary hour picking an outfit out, another forty-five minutes carefully braiding her hair as she dried off from the bath, and a further ten minutes nervously pacing around her bedroom and mumbling "harrypotteristakingmetothechipshop".

Of all the things to get flustered over, she thought she was justified in being just a little bit flustered over this. She couldn't really blame herself for it either. He'd always been a good, supportive friend, and since that encounter with the Thestrals back in her 4th year, they'd shared a bond. A bond of understanding, and of solidarity.

The part with her fancying him and falling deeply in love with him - "It was only puppy love." she told herself – didn't come until the battle in the Department of Mysteries, and she saw his deeply caring, yet deeply vulnerable side.

She heard a knock on her bedroom door and she sat back in her chair, looking down at her hands, starting to fiddle with the zipper on her hoodie. "Come in Daddy." She said through the door, still not looking up. Xenophilius walked in and sat on her bed, closing the door with a wave of his hand, and patted the bed next to him.

"Come sit here Moonbeam… I want to have a chat." Luna got up and sat next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. Xenophilius held her hand and squeezed gently, kissing the top of her head.

"I can feel how nervous you are. I was like this practically every day around your mother." "Were you Daddy?" Xenophilius nodded and smiled, thinking of Pandora. "Yeah… I loved her. I loved her so very, **very **much. You know… I'd only known her about a week before we got married."

Luna's eyes went wide and she turned to look at Xenophilius. "A week?! And you got MARRIED?!" Xenophilius nodded. "We were head over heels that very first night. I was… living with some druids in Wales when I first saw her."

"She came over from Ireland to have a wand made for her. She was beautiful. Hair so blonde it was almost white, down to her waist. These beautiful green robes. She was a picture." Xenophilus felt a lump in his throat and squeezed Luna's hand.

"I thought she was one of the Fae at first. Or a Veela. But no. She was just… Pandora. I wish I could say I was calm and collected, but… the first thing I did when I saw her was trip over into a muddy puddle. But by Merlin that made her laugh."

"We were inseparable for the whole three days she was there. I followed her back to Ireland, to Galway, and we got married exactly a week after I first fell in that puddle." Luna kissed her dad on the cheek and hugged into him more. "Is there… any particular reason you're telling me this Daddy?"

Xenophilius looked up at the portraits above Luna's bed, focusing on the portrait of Harry for a second. "What I'm trying to say, is that… oh dear. Uh… What I want to say, is that, I know you're both… fragile. Mentally. That's not a bad thing, it wasn't ever intended as a slight. I want you to know that, even if you think things go a bit fast, let things flow naturally. If you were to come home tonight and say "Daddy, Harry and I are eloping." then I'd have some concerns, but I'd understand. If you were to come home and say "Things won't work out like that." I'd understand."

"But if you come home, and you mention that the pair of you are scared, and think it won't work out because either Mr Potter is rushing into a new relationship too quickly or that either of you **think** you'll only make each other's issues work… then nerves will have gotten the better of the pair of you." Luna looked down at her shoes, thinking.

"It **is** a bit fast thought Daddy, you have to admit. He's not long been apart from Ginny, he's dealing with his own demons-" "And you Moonbeam are dealing with yours. If you both genuinely feel that right now isn't the time, that's okay. But don't say that or go down that path until you KNOW for certain that it's not right for either of you. Okay? It might work out. You could work out that things aren't right or… you can be the glue that holds each other together. Like me and your Mummy."

Luna hugged her dad again, tightly. "Aww Daddy..." Xenophilius let a few tears drop as he held Luna. "You're a strong young woman, and I am so, so proud of you. Your Mummy would be even prouder. Have you struggled? Yes. Have you become stronger because of it? Yes." Xenophilius kissed the top of her head again and wrapped her in a full hug.

Pulling back from the hug, Luna stood up and looked over to the photo of her and her mum, smiling sadly. Xenophilius got up to leave as well, wiping his eyes. "Oh… and before you ask… you look lovely." Xenophilius smiled as he left the room, leaving a beaming Luna alone.

She took a second to look at herself in the mirror, and she felt quite enthused. She never had much faith in putting an outfit together at all, much less one that worked, but being in Bristol, among Muggles taught her a simple rule: Jeans and a flannel shirt always go well.

She was about to put on her outfit when she heard a knock at the door downstairs. Her blood ran cold, and she panicked.

He was here.

He was here to take her to the chip shop.

He was here to take her to the chip shop and she wasn't properly dressed yet.

He was here to take her to the chip shop and she was still in her post-bath clothes of a vest, pyjama pants, hoodie and bunny slippers. Her outfit - a black wax jacket, flannel shirt, jeans, Wellington boots and a worn old Metallica shirt - lay on her bed.

Xenophilus was on his way down to answer when he heard an almighty "OH SHITE!" from Luna's room, and started to chuckle as she panicked and raced to get dressed. "Oh goodness Luna… never change."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: the chat between Luna and Xenophilius was one I had so much fun writing. We sadly never get to hear much about Luna's mum aside from her passing in the canon, and I think that's a crying shame. I always had it in my mind that Xenophilius was Welsh (not helped by being played by Rhys Ifans in the films) rather than Irish, and I love the idea of Luna being connected to the ancient Celtic side of wizarding in some way, so having connections to both Welsh and Irish roots sits right in my mind with her. Musical inspiration is A Kind of Magic by Queen, which I think accurately describes what love - real, solid love - is. It's a kind of magic. :)


	10. Friday I'm in Love

"_What's the plan today, Mr Potter? After you bugger off from here of course, what's your plan for the day?" _

_"_ _I'm heading back to work today… see if I can deal with it properly. I had a chat with my boss and he said the Auror Office has had sod all to do lately, barely even any paperwork."_

"_Oh that's excellent news! That's a fantastic step forward. You're still following the plan I mentioned for the mornings though I assume?" "_

_Yeah. It's good advice. Even on the… shitty day I had last week, it helped."_

"_Yes, it's one of the smaller victories, but I find they matter a bit more. The big victories are ones you notice. The small ones… are the ones you have to have pointed out. The fact that you've managed to get up, take care of yourself, even if it's minor, is big, in the grand scheme of things."_

"_It's not the only thing I have planned though Dr Voce. I… I'm gonna go out for dinner with someone. With Luna Lovegood." _

_"Oh? Oh wow… that I didn't expect. Are you interested in her in 'that' way?"_

"_I'm close with her. I don't know about 'that' way, but I really like her." _

_"...right. Yeah, I can tell you've fallen for her." _

_"_ _I… I haven't!" "_

_Yeah… tell yourself that. Take it slow, okay Mr Potter, alright? Go at the pace you're both comfortable at."_

* * *

Harry played the conversation with Dr Voce in his head as he apparated from Ron and Hermione's kitchen to Luna's house, having changed in their spare bedroom. _"A suit would be a bit dressy for the bloody chip shop, don't you think Ron?" _He said to Ron before leaving, leaving his work suit in a duffle bag in one of the spare bedrooms.

He hesitated for a bit before walking up the pathway to the house. He subconsciously started wringing his hands nervously, and considered just apparating home, and secluding himself once more. He'd been to work, maybe that was a big enough victory.

His decision was made for him when he spotted Luna through the window, giving a hug to her dad. His smile at seeing her was totally involuntary, and he found himself walking to the house, and knocking hard. He heard all movement in the house stop, some shuffling, then a very, very loud "OH SHITE!" He chuckled, thinking "Luna's accent is wonderful when she swears." to himself.

He saw a figure – presumably Xenophilius – appear behind the glass of the door, and open up with an amused grin. "You heard her, didn't you Harry?"

"Yeah… I think the Weasleys heard her too, and they're a mile or two away." Xenophilius laughed and shook Harry's hand.

"Good to see you again Harry. Shame about last time, very good of you to not think lesser of me."

"I understand Mr Lovegood-"

"Please… call me Xenophilius. Moonbeam! Luna, sweetie, Harry's here." he shouted up the stairs. Luna let out a little squeak, and Harry could swear he heard cogs in her head turning.

"DADDY, TELL HIM I'M UPSTAIRS!" Xenophilius furrowed his brow in mild confusion. Luna could be… slightly more odd than usual, when she was in a panic.

"Moonbeam, you ARE upstairs." The flustered exasperation from upstairs was adorable, and Harry couldn't help but snicker like an idiot.

"Well… WELL TELL HIM I'M INDECENT!" Harry blushed slightly and turned away.

"Harry… she told me to tell you she's indecent. Tell you what, we'll sit in the kitchen and have some tea while we wait." Xenophilius ushered Harry in and shut the door behind him. Flicking his wand, he set the kettle to boil and sat down at the kitchen table with him, shifting his robes.

"So Harry… what are your intentions with my daughter?" This caught Harry off-guard and he too was flustered for a second.

"Oh.. oh, um, nothing… nothing inappropriate… um..." He rambled on for a bit before noticing Xenophilius's cheeky grin, and sighed in relief.

"No, I know you'd not do anything shitty with her. I know you're very fond of her." Xenophilius flicked his wand again as the kettle finished boiling, and filled a pot of tea, charming it over with two cups in front of him. "It's ginger tea this time, so slightly more normal. Lovely when it's cold, warms you right up."

"THESE JEANS FIT THIS MORNING!" Luna shouted from her bedroom, prompting another round of snickering from Harry.

"Is she always like this?"

"Only before a date." Harry felt his nerves shoot up again, and he bounced his leg frantically.

"I-it's not a date Xeno-"

"Oh bollocks Harry, of course it is. I KNOW how fond you are of each other and if something doesn't come of this date then I'll be slightly irritated. Calm your bloody nerves, you're fine."

Harry gave him a small smile and took a sip of his tea, the taste pleasantly surprising him. Before saying anything though, he heard footsteps upstairs, and they were slowly descending. It was happening. Harry's breathing quickened and he looked over at Xenophilius. "You'll be fine Harry… trust me."

As Luna came into view, Harry could almost hear his heart speeding up, and he rushed to give her a strong, powerful embrace. She gave a soft squeak in surprise before wrapping her arms around him and returning the hug, nestling her face into his chest.

"How are you?" Luna said, muffled by the hug. Harry laughed softly and replied "Not too bad. Better for having seen you." Harry could feel the smile form across Luna's face and she let out a sound akin to a mewl, hugging him tighter.

They stayed in the embrace for an embarrassingly long amount of time, until Xenophilius slurped his tea loudly, smirking.

"Daddy's been watching the entire time, hasn't he Harry?"

"Yeah."

"What's he doing?"

"He's trying not to laugh at the moment Luna."

"Oh. Should we stop hugging?"

"...yeah."

They broke apart and went quiet, looking at each other and grinning like lovestruck teenagers. "We should… umm..." Luna pointed at the door, looking between Harry and Xenophilius, who was still smirking and sipping his tea.

"Yeah… we should..." Harry started mumbling, before heading back to the table and downing the rest of his tea in a single gulp. "We should… head off. L-lovely to see you Xenophilius."

Luna came into the kitchen and kissed her dad on the cheek before saying goodbye, and headed out the door before Harry, leaving him to wave and slowly close the door behind. Xenophilius kept smirking, and topped off his tea, sitting quietly at the kitchen table. "Pandora, you'd not believe how like you she is..."

* * *

Luna and Harry had been walking hand in hand for a while before the first word was spoken, as the sun just started to set. "Penny for your thoughts Harry Potter." Luna asked, in a familiar, dreamy tone. "Oh… I was just looking over at the sunset. It must be really lovely living out here in the country."

"Yeah, I feel… free, when back out in the country. I feel myself again." She held his hand tightly and looked back at him with a warm smile, her silver eyes reflected in the dying light of the sun. "It never quite felt right anywhere that wasn't quite rural. Bristol felt lovely but also quite strange. There's something special about being out in nature…" Luna trailed off and kept walking, Harry catching up.

"I noticed you're a bit more comfortable, a bit more at ease. Like you were at Hogwarts. That sort of… well, I don't really know how to describe it, that dreaminess, that… absent-minded wonder."

"Oh, you noticed did you?"

Harry nodded. "Most of the times I've seen you… you weren't as comfortable as this."

Luna smiled a sad smile. "There's very few people that I feel comfortable around like that nowadays. I sort of prefer that though. You, for the biggest example. I could still talk about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, but I think people'd get worn out quicker nowadays." Harry chuckled quietly.

"Have you ever found one yet Luna?"

"Hmm?"

"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

"Oh… not yet. I came very close on an excursion with Daddy a while ago though. We found a nest! Unhatched eggs as well, the mummy must have been off searching for food." Luna's voice became perkier, and happier. "We took photographs of the nest, we'll have to show you sometime!"

Harry closed the gap and put his arm around Luna, hugging her close before pulling back a bit and running his thumb over her hand. "Please do. Now… tell me more about Bristol..."

* * *

Another half hour had passed and the village had just started coming into view, the lights of the high-street standing out over the dimming light of the landscape. "So, after being at the zoo for a few months, I got promoted to working with the birds of prey. I've always liked the birds of prey, my favourite was this lovely little kestrel called Ffion. Very affectionate for a raptor."

Harry could listen to her talk for days. Her enthusiasm for animals, so infectious and so simple, warmed his heart. "Would you ever go back?" Harry asked. "I mean, to Bristol." Luna shook her head and slowed her pace slightly, letting Harry catch up.

"No… wasn't quite my calling. It was lovely, I have no regrets, but I want to… I want to go out and see it. That's why I like living in the country. I can see all the lovely little creatures I want to see in my back garden. There's quite a lot of magical creatures around here you know." Her voice took on that soft airiness again, and Harry smiled.

"There's a small hive of faeries at a pond near the back garden."

"Really?"

Luna nodded. "Mummy loved them. They reminded her of the Aos Sí. The… faeries in Ireland. Daddy takes care of them nowadays. I sit out there and draw them sometimes, it's very tranquil."

"I can imagine that. Your art really is… it's wonderful, I have to say." Luna blushed and squeezed Harry's hand.

"You're too kind Harry Potter. I usually only show Daddy, so showing you and everyone else my art was a big step for me last week."

"Well… I'm really glad you were comfortable enough to show us all. The sketch of all of us is still pride of place on my desk at work. I mean, I only put it there this morning but… yeah. It won't easily leave." Luna blushed again and let out a little satisfied mewl.

"You know… you let out a little squeak-type noise when you're happy."

"Oh… is it irritating? I can stop if-" "No, no. It's not annoying. At all. In fact… I find it VERY cute." Luna went very bashful and hid behind her fringe.

"Are you saying I'm cute Harry Potter?"

Harry leaned in to her and whispered in her ear. "Very." Her grip around his hand tightened significantly, and her smile went impossibly wide, before she got up close and snuggled into him, her arm around his waist.

"I feel like walking like this now Harry Potter. Any objections?" Harry put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of the head.

"None from me… Luna Lovegood." The satisfied little squeak from Luna melted his heart the moment it came out, and she hugged into him tighter, walking slower.

* * *

Harry finished paying the young lady behind the counter and took the boxes out to the bench where Luna was sitting, in perfect view of the rising moon. "So… mushy peas and chips for you… cod and chips for me."

"Ooh, did you get salt and vinegar on mine?"

"I mean, it's fish and chips, you're doing it very wrong if there's no salt and vinegar." Harry giggled and sat down next to her, handing her her meal and fork.

"I wondered if there was something you noticed Harry." Luna spiked a few chips on her fork and blew on them before eating, chewing quietly.

"What was that?"

"Well… I feel like… so far, all the really nice things that have happened, you know, in the past few weeks, have happened on a Friday."

Harry thought for a second as he ate his first few chips, and nodded slowly. "Yeah… Yeah, I noticed that. I got back in contact with you two weeks ago today. Last week you came to the pub… and today took you out for dinner."

"It could be coincidence. I don't like coincidence though. Too convenient." Luna ate a few more chips and looked up at the sky.

"Waning crescent. Starting a new cycle soon. I find the moon fascinating. It's been there, all throughout history. Armies marched under it, peace was brought under it. Death, life, love, all went on under the moon."

"I can't help but think of you every time I see it to be perfectly honest." Harry had a few more chips and stopped for a second, shifting closer to Luna on the bench.

"I mean, the name tends to help matters, Harry." Luna smirked and shuffled too. "My name being the Latin translation of moon was always going to influence it."

Harry let out a soft chuckle and started up eating again. "Well, it's a bit more than that. What were we doing, this time last week?" Luna gulped and turned to Harry, her eyes twinkling.

"We were sitting in the pub garden of The Leaky Cauldron. You had your arm around me… and we just sat there, looking up at the moon, for a good hour."

"Yeah. Yeah… that's the happiest I've been for a few months now."

Luna smiled a bashful smile again, and finished off the last of her chips. "Same here. You know… when I sent the Patronus message this morning, I thought of last week."

Harry wasn't surprised at all, and started spearing into the fish with his fork, trying and failing to hide his grin. "Yeah… I'd have thought the same. You make me… happy. Very happy to be around you Luna. You've always made me quite happy. Even back at… ahem, back at Shell Cottage."

Luna smiled sadly. "Aye… that was bittersweet. Have you been back since?"

"Yeah… I go and lay a dishcloth on Dobby's headstone. I pop in to Bill and Fleur, have a cup of tea, but I mainly go for him." Harry let a tear trickle down his face. "He was a… fantastic person. He was lovely."

Luna's smile turned sadder and she grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket, dabbing away Harry's tear for him. "That's another reason I like you Harry. You've always cared. I've never known you NOT to care."

"It's not in me NOT to care Luna. Even when the black dog is on my shoulder, I care. It's why I did the thing of shutting people out." Harry ate the last few chunks of fish and closed his box, wiping his hands on his jeans. "I didn't want them to see me like that."

Luna followed suit and ate the mushy peas quickly before wiping her hands and flicking the rubbish to the bin. "I can't abide litter… anyway Harry, forgive me for saying but that's bollocks."

Harry snorted and put his arm around Luna. "I know… I worried a lot of people. I regret doing it now but… at the time it was all I could manage."

"I hope you never push me away Harry." She snuggled in to Harry's shoulder and laid her head on his chest.

"How the hell could I? I don't think I'd forgive myself." He kissed the top of her head again and smiled when the inevitable squeak of happiness came. They sat in silence, watching the moon for a few minutes before the next word was spoken.

"Is this a date, Harry Potter?"

"Well… do you want it to be?"

"Let's be honest with ourselves Harry… it was a feckin' date."

Harry started laughing and stroked Luna's arm affectionately. "Yeah. Yeah… let's call it a date. How was it for a first date?"

Luna looked up at him, with those stunning silver eyes. "It was fantastic Harry Potter. Can we make it a regular thing?"

Harry thought for a second, before nodding. "Yeah. Absolutely." Luna hugged him harder and kissed his cheek.

"Does this mean you're my boyfriend now Harry Potter?" Harry coughed and spluttered in surprise, with Luna giggling. "Oh… um… well, I mean, it's up to you, I mean, do you think it's too-" Luna put her finger to his lips and shushed him quietly.

"Harry… breathe. Now… relax a bit, and answer my question when you're ready."

Harry looked away nervously, and was in thought for a few seconds, playing back all the advice he'd gotten; from Hermione, from Ron, from Dr Voce, even from Xenophilius just a few hours before. _"__If you want to go for it, go for it. If you don't, don't. And if you're scared, of what'll blow back on her, or if you're scared about not being good enough… you're nuts."_

"yesiwouldlovetobeyourboyfriendithinkyouarebeautiful". A jumble of words came out of Harry's mouth far too quickly, but Luna still started shaking with excitement. "Y-yes Luna. Gladly. You're beautiful, and I'd be lucky to have you." Harry had barely finished when Luna rush up to his level and pressed her lips to his, holding him impossibly tight.

Their stomachs flipped in unison, and the world around them went blank. For the time their lips were together, all they could acknowledge was each other. All they WANTED to acknowledge was each other. All they NEEDED to acknowledge was... each other.

Eventually, they had to pull back for air, and Luna simply pulled away, sitting back down next to Harry and nuzzling into his chest again. Harry sat in shock for a second before kissing the top of Luna's head once more. "It's official then. We're a couple." Luna simply nodded.

"That point I made earlier, about everything happening on a Friday."

"Yeah?" "Have you ever heard of The Cure?"

"Oh yeah… that goth band?"

"Well… they made a song. A very nice, very lovely song. My favourite song by them actually. They called it 'Friday I'm in Love.'" Harry's smile slowly grew. He understood the point now.

"Yeah… very apt. It's getting a bit nippy… want to head back to Ron and Hermione's? I was gonna suggest we-"

"Yes." Luna answered very quickly.

"Um… you didn't even let me finish."

"Harry Potter, you could ask me if I want to streak through the village right now and I'd say yes. I'm on cloud nine right now you absolute eejit."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I was going to suggest we head back to Ron and Hermione's and watch a film." Luna nodded enthusiastically and gave him another, this time shorter kiss.

"Let's go… come on, let's go let's go!" Her enthusiasm was utterly infectious, and he'd apparated with her to Ron and Hermione's house within seconds, using the spare key he'd been given earlier. Taking off their shoes, Harry lead Luna to the bedroom.

"Are you planning something illicit Mr Potter? Suggesting we sin so early into our relationship?" She said to him in shock scandal, taking delight in the nervousness that took him over.

"N-no… it's… my stuff is..."

"Oh shut up you feckin' eejit. It gives me a chance to get in my pyjamas."

Harry breathed heavily in relief and chuckled. "No problem, I'll go get changed in the bathroom." He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek and took his dufflebag to the en-suite, quickly changing into a tatty black vest and pyjama bottoms, heading out to spot Luna slipping on her own pyjamas. "You look ridiculously comfortable in those slippers."

Luna looked down and giggled. "Pink bunny slippers. A bit cliché, but they're so very fluffy." Harry lead her into the living room, and flicked on the TV. "I feel like a horror film. How does Friday the 13th sound?" Luna asked as she flopped down onto the sofa, _accio_-ing a blanket and wrapping it around herself.

"I'm… somehow not surprised you liked horror." Harry chuckled and grabbed the case from Ron's side of the DVD rack, putting it in and flicking the film on, taking his… rightful place with Luna on the sofa. Hugging her under the blanket, he kissed her cheek as the titles rolled on. Luna was right. It's Friday… he's in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is by FAR the longest chapter, and I started/restarted multiple times to make sure that I was on the right track with it. It's the *big* chapter too, with Harry and Luna finally getting off their arses and saying to each other's faces "I love you" which, I ain't gonna lie, really makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Musical inspiration is Friday I'm In Love by The Cure... I think for obvious reasons :)


	11. Angel of the Morning

Hermione woke, bleary-eyed and irritated. Her husband, the love of her life and the one person she'd go to the ends of the earth for, was a bloody horrendous snorer. To say it irritated her would be the understatement of the century, and she crept out of bed, taking a peek at the clock.

"Half-eight… not too bad." She mumbled, looking over at Ron, still out cold. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and she admonished affectionately "Noisy git..."

Putting on her dressing gown, she went to head down into the kitchen when, as she scaled the stairs, she caught sight of a form on the sofa. "Oh, Harry got back alright..." She thought aloud, until she spotted someone next to him.

A certain blonde-haired oddball. And Harry and this certain blonde-haired oddball were fast asleep, hugged together under a blanket, with ridiculously large grins on their faces. The smiles were infectious, and Hermione let out a quiet "Aww..." as she spotted them both, rushing back up the steps to wake Ron.

Ron was talking in his sleep as Hermione headed back into the room, eliciting a giggle from her. "Yeah… just two more sausages Mum… is there any brown sauce left..." Hermione rolled her eyes and gently poked him.

"Hey… Ron."

Ron stirred and groaned. "Another few minutes Hermione… get back in bed..." He pulled the cover over his face, or at least, attempted to.

"Ronald, something very important has happened."

"What… there's a new Slayer album?"

"Oh sod off with Slayer, Ron! No… Harry's downstairs."

Ron got up and looked at Hermione, confused. "Yeah… he said he'd be staying the night anyway. What's the problem?"

"It's not a problem Ronald. He's… on the sofa."

"And? He probably passed out watching a film."

"It's not just Harry down there." Ron's eyes shot open. "You're joking!"

Hermione shushed Ron and motioned for him to get up. "Come on, they're still asleep!" Ron stepped out of bed and followed Hermione as quietly as he could manage, his footfalls still heavy even on his tiptoes.

They got to the middle of the stairwell and halted. "Oh bloody hell..." Ron said with a smile, hugging Hermione. "He finally got off his arse and did it."

"I know… it's just precious!"

"Did you hear them get in?"

Hermione looked up at Ron and shook her head. "No… don't think so. I think we were… 'busy'." Hermione blushed, and Ron's ears turned a bright crimson.

"Oh… oh thank Merlin for those bloody soundproofing charms."

They watched Harry and Luna sleep from the stairwell, Hermione getting slightly emotional over it all. "Look at how happy she makes him Ron..."

Ron leaned down and kissed her cheek, finding it hard to stop himself from smiling. "Yeah… haven't seen him that happy since Mum last made him a treacle tart."

"Tell you what though 'Mione."

"What?"

"Her slippers are bloody cool." He pointed to her pink, fluffy bunny slippers, poking out from the bottom of the blanket, and Hermione suppressed a giggle.

"Ooh, shall I get you a pair?" She said half-jokingly. She suppressed full-on laughter when Ron nodded without a hint of irony.

"They look bloody comfy. Anyway… shall we leave 'em to it?"

Hermione nodded and turned back to Ron, giving him a short peck on the lips. "Yeah, we don't have to get up right this second. The bed's still warm..."

Ron gulped and felt his heart race at the look she gave him. "Are the charms still up?"

Hermione nodded.

"That's good at least… though the only real risk is them hearing you."

Hermione's jaw dropped in faux-outrage, and she hit his arm playfully. "Bad Ron… very bad. Anyway… hurry up. We've probably not got long." She giggled and ran up with Ron, hand in hand… making care to reinforce the soundproofing charms before locking the bedroom door.

* * *

Harry and Luna were still sound asleep when Hermione and Ron crept out of the bedroom an hour later, only stirring slightly when Hermione sat down on the sofa opposite them. She smirked over at Ron, already in the kitchen when she cleared her throat.

Harry grunted, tightening his arms around Luna's waist and pulling her closer, eliciting both a smile from Luna and some more fawning from Hermione. She looked over at Ron and mouthed "They're so precious..." before clearing her throat again, this time louder.

Harry stirred and his eyes flicked open, prompting him to smile and nudge Luna gently to wake her. "Luna, sweetie… we've been rumbled."

"Hmm?" Luna mumbled softly, stirring herself and yawning quietly as she started to wake. "Oh… hello there Hermione."

"Morning… to the pair of you. I'm guessing last night went pretty well?" Luna and Harry shared a short look, then started giggling quietly. "

For lack of a better word… yeah. It went excellently." They both sat up on the sofa and stretched, wasting no time in going back to hugging, prompting more sappy fawning from Hermione, and rolled eyes from Ron.

"I have to say Ronald, your film collection is excellent." Luna leaned over the sofa and said to him.

"Yeah… she picked out Friday the 13th!"

Ron narrowed his eyes and turned back to Luna.

"Original or remake?"

Luna rolled her eyes and said "Original, obviously, who do you think I am?"

Prompting an approving nod from Ron and an exasperated groan from Hermione. "First the bloody music, then the films… oh God what am I in for?"

Harry laughed and held Luna tight, kissing her cheek. First morning of being Luna Lovegood's boyfriend was off to a good start, he thought. The one thing for certain… he didn't particularly want to stop hugging her right now.

* * *

The evening came irritatingly fast for Harry and Luna, who'd practically not shifted from their spot on the sofa, only to get dressed and go and get additional rounds of toast from the kitchen. They'd spent much of the day still in each other's arms and watching films with Ron, Hermione occasionally looking over from her desk in the corner.

"I honestly don't see what you lot do in those films. They're all so bloody gory… and really quite disturbing." She said after one particularly horrid scene from… Ron said it was called 'Dawn of the Dead' but she paid little attention, staying focused on her Ministry paperwork.

"That **is** why they're called horror films 'Mione, wouldn't do any good if they were called anything else now, would it?" Ron replied, nursing a butterbeer.

"And you Luna… what on earth got you into these films?"

Luna didn't look over as she answered, simply saying "Friends in Bristol." And snuggling back into Harry.

"Aren't you concerned you and Harry are going to melt together if you keep hugging like that?" Hermione said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Harry and Luna simply shook their heads in unison.

"Nah… not even slightly. His hugging is too good to worry about that." Harry kissed the top of her head and she let out a soft little squeak, leaning up to peck him on the lips and nuzzle deeper.

Hermione couldn't help but feel her heart swell, and she turned back to her paperwork before they spotted the smile on her face. "She's utterly… fantastic for him." She thought to herself. These past few hours just watching the pair lifted her hopes for him. He'd had one hell of a rough time… but she was already bringing out the best in him.

* * *

A few hours later, Harry and Luna found themselves at Luna's front door, just standing on the step, refusing to step off. "These past few days have been… wonderful, Harry Potter."

Harry smiled and kept her close, rubbing her back. "You're telling me..." He trailed off, seeing Xenophilius at the window, who gave him a small thumbs up and mouthed "Take as long as you need."

Harry pulled back and cupped Luna's face in his hands, looking into her eyes. "I want you to know, that if you're feeling 'that' feeling, then just send a message, or even just apparate to 12 Grimmauld Place, and I'll do my best to help."

Luna smiled and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck, her expression becoming both dreamy and very aware. "I can say the same. If you have an attack, or something triggers you in the night… please don't hesitate to apparate right in. Even if I'm asleep… just apparate and get in bed with me, I'll be there for a hug."

Harry smiled and gave her a long, deep kiss, and for an instant, much like last night, everything around them faded into nothing, and it was just them, alone in the world. The rather irritating urge to breathe stopped them before they kissed for any longer, and Harry pulled back, his heart melting as Luna let out one of her trademark squeaks of happiness and contentment.

"You'll have to come up to London one of these days you know. The house gets lonely sometimes with just me and Kreacher. Plus… I was thinking of redecorating."

Luna smiled and nodded. "Aye… I might be able to help with that." She got up on her tiptoes and gave him another kiss, before pulling back and pulling out her house key.

"I'll see you around Harry Potter. I… I love you." She went inside before he had a chance to answer, beaming from ear to ear and running straight up the stairs to hug Xenophilius, who had a proud and immensely happy expression on himself. "I love Harry Potter daddy… I feckin' love him!"

Harry stood at the doorstep, almost dumbfounded. Before long, he grinned and turned to walk away, looking up at the moon. "I love you too… Luna Lovegood." He murmured to himself before he apparated back to 12 Grimmauld Place, collapsing into bed still clothed… still grinning that large, incessant grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun, light chapter to write as I wanted to do something that wasn't emotionally heavy, and it's also pleasant seeing how Hermione and Ron interact as a couple... however bawdy it gets! Musical inspiration is Angel of the Morning by Juice Newton, mainly due to Harry's euphoria at waking up next to his own personal Angel of the Morning :)


	12. The Unnamed Feeling

"_Filthy little mudblood..." "You won't be killing any of them. You won't be killing anyone ever again..." "Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight." "The Minstry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming." "AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

* * *

Harry awoke with a scream, and whipped his wand to cast a curse, shattering a window and splintering the frame. His breathing was frantic and his eyes darted around the room, finding naught but still shadows and the movement of the curtains, the night breeze chilling him to the bone.

Kreacher apparated into the room with a start, and immediately went to sweep up the broken glass and wood, moving the broom frantically and sweeping it all into one corner. "Master Harry, please do not step off of the bed… there's glass over there." Kreacher motioned for Harry to stay in bed and rushed over, sweeping all the debris away from the side of the bed.

Harry put his head in his hands and started to breathe slower, heavier. His mind was racing still, and he kept the tight clutch on his wand as he started to cry again, hot tears pricking at the edges of his eyes, falling from his nose to the floor. "Not again… not again." He repeated to himself, rocking back and forth from his makeshift seat on the side of the bed.

He did this for what seemed like an age, until he felt Kreacher pat him on the arm, ostensibly out of concern. He shifted and looked up to find himself eye-level with the house-elf. "Master Harry… does Kreacher need to make you a cup of tea?"

Harry tried to smile but couldn't find the will, and simply shook his head. "No… thank you Kreacher. I… I think I need to go somewhere. I'll be back later. In the meantime… be careful not to tread on the glass." He swept up from the bed and put his dressing gown on over his shirt and pyjama bottoms, and apparated away with one place in mind… The Rookery.

* * *

Luna was at her desk, the low lamplight just softly illuminating the piece of paper in front of her, and she looked out the window at the moon, high in the sky and glowing down through the window. She thought idly for a moment, before looking back down at the newest sketch she was working on.

Something simple… a silhouette illustration of her and Harry, walking off into the sunset, hand in hand. She smiled as she cast her mind back to two Fridays ago, when the feelings between the two came to a crescendo and… well, they acknowledged that the feelings existed, and, pleasantly, were 100% reciprocated.

She was about to put pencil to paper once more when a soft crack sounded out in the middle of the room, and she saw the outline of someone appear. Without hesitating, she got up and threw her arms around him… she knew why he was here.

She heard him softly sobbing and got him to the bed, whispering to him and kissing his cheek. "It's okay Harry…. I'm here with you now, it's alright." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, sniffing and sobbing quietly still.

"The… it was back at the Battle of Hogwarts… he… he cast the Killing Curse..." he choked out, before hugging tighter into Luna, burying his face in her shoulder. She stroked his back and kissed his forehead, her heart breaking for him.

"You need to stay the night?" She whispered, keeping her arms around him as his sobbing slowed.

In response, he simply nodded. "T-thank you Luna… I love you." He mumbled as he calmed in Luna's arms, the sobs turning into just sniffing, the sniffing turning into soft snores.

Luna smiled sadly and kissed his forehead, tucking the quilt over the pair of them and holding him to her chest, stroking his hair as she aided him to sleep. "I love you too Harry Potter..." She whispered and laid with him, holding him tightly.

* * *

Harry and Luna sat in companionable silence for what seemed like an age after waking, Luna curling Harry's hair around her finger and occasionally giving him a small kiss. Harry was the first to break the silence.

"Thank you." He mumbled out, holding Luna closer.

"For what?"

"For being there. Usually there's no one after a nightmare, and I just sit downstairs doing paperwork until I pass out." Luna furrowed her brow and looked over.

"Really? You don't even go and see Ron and Hermione?"

Harry shook his head. "They said I'm welcome any time but… I can't. I can't put on them when they've just started their new life. It's not fair. They deserve some peace." He wasn't quite prepared for Luna to hit him in the chest, and slightly less prepared for her to grab his cheeks and look into his eyes with a steely gaze.

"Listen Harry Potter. I love you, deeply, but if I said you had the emotional range of a tortoise I'd be bang on the bloody money. They're your friends, you think they wouldn't want to help you when you're have a shite time of it? You think they'd think you're a burden?!"

Harry gulped nervously and choked a reply. "P-probably not?" He shrugged and kept Luna's gaze, who let a smile curl at the corners of her mouth.

"Correct answer Harry." She gave him a short peck on the lips and rolled over him to get out of bed. "Daddy's in Sweden for a week, so we've got the house to ourselves. Get up or you're not getting any breakfast."

* * *

The sun was high behind the clouds as Harry and Luna sat in the back garden, enjoying more silent companionship. Luna was deep in thought with her sketchpad, and Harry was sitting with his arm around her, looking up as the clouds pass.

"Do you reckon that we're moving a bit fast?" Harry asked out of the blue.

"Hmm?" Luna murmured, before realising what Harry had said, and shaking her head softly. "Oh, no, not really. I had a chat with Daddy before I came out with you the other week. I remember he mentioned to me about… letting things go naturally, if that makes sense?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah… Ron and Hermione told me much the same. But… I dunno, I don't want either of us to be overwhelmed. Or burned out too quickly. I love you, a lot. I don't want you to get tired of me."

Luna looked at him sadly. "I couldn't ever be tired of you Harry." She leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek then got back to her sketching.

"I draw a lot Harry… don't know if you noticed. Did I ever tell you why?" Harry shook his head, and Luna breathed heavily, but before she could say anything…

"Luna… if it would make you uncomfortable to share… don't worry about it."

"No Harry… I want to share it." She didn't take her eyes off of the paper, and her hand worked almost by itself, working independently of her talking. "It's… part of my coping mechanism. When Mummy died, I drew. When I went to Hogwarts and those awful girls kept taking my things, I drew. Even when I was chained up, in the Malfoy Manor dungeons, I drew on the floor, and the walls."

"Do I enjoy it? Oh, absolutely. Is it also escapism… absolutely." The pencil kept moving, shading an image of the landscape in front of her. "I drew the night I tried to take my life." Harry looked over, shocked.

"You… tried to take your life? I knew about the self-harm, but..." Harry hugged her closely and felt himself well up.

Luna's face didn't change, and her voice took on her classic airiness, her serenity. "It's in the past now Harry. It's been and gone. It was a… dark time. It was a year or so ago now… a few months after I came back from Bristol. When I mentioned things went grey to you before."

The pencil strokes stopped, and she looked ahead, her expression staying serene, but with a wistfulness behind it. "I was VERY happy in Bristol. The city life made me uncomfortable, sure. But… I had friends. I had very good friends. I LIVED with those very good friends. And everything changing back to how it was… after I got home… was a big shock. I was alienated for so long in Hogwarts, I only had those few, close friends, like you."

She reached up and stroked his cheek affectionately, still looking ahead. Harry took her hand and kissed it, shifting closer. "It made me feel like that, cycle, that awful cycle of alienation would just start again. So… one night, I took a carving knife and I tried to..." Her breath caught in her throat and she cracked for a second, before coming back, speaking slower, her voice shaking, but only slightly.

"Well… I'll spare the details, but I was in St Mungo's, let's say that. Daddy was so upset… he's been very good to me since. Not that he wasn't good to me before, but… he understands. He knew I self-harmed in Hogwarts, and I think it hurt him most that those feelings came back. He knew how badly things changed after I was in Malfoy Manor's dungeon. But this is when he finally grasped how… drastic it was. I'm not as distant anymore. Not as… outwardly oddballish."

She went back to drawing, this time slower, more deliberate. "I got sarcastic instead. Had to be more aware, it helped put the defences up. Sarcasm was a defence. If I could joke, I could deflect any negativity. If it was cutting, dry… it would put anything off."

"That's why you're only really… yourself around me and your dad isn't it?" Luna nodded and wiped away a tear.

"I was never ALWAYS so distant. It was more of a mix of that and the… affection, I show you and Daddy. I was just always distant at Hogwarts." She turns to him at last, smiling. "You know, I only really showed YOU how I really was. Like… with the thestrals." She turned back to the sketch and appeared to put on the finishing touch… filling in some of the shade on the rolling hills.

"Do you think any less of me Harry Potter?" She'd barely finished before Harry kissed her on the cheek and held her.

"God no. You're right… it's the past. Remember what Dr Voce told the pair of us?"

Luna nodded and smiled a wry smile. "'We are not our trauma.'"

Harry nodded. "Bang on."

* * *

"Daddy calls it the Unnamed Feeling." Luna said as they lay in bed together, looking up at the ceiling.

"Calls what the Unnamed Feeling?"

"When… when that darkness comes. Whenever it came. As a consequence of trauma, as a consequence of empathy, or… when it simply came up."

"He said to me 'You can call it what you like… depression, or what have you, but the actual feeling, that emptiness, that has no name. It is nothing. It is hideous.'".

Harry kissed the top of her head and stroked her shoulder, thinking. "He's… pretty bang on actually. There's no real word for it. Not in English anyway."

Luna mumbled to herself for a second, saying nothing in particular. "Maybe in German? They have a word for everything in that feckin' language."

Harry let out a laugh and squeezed Luna tightly. He liked her sense of humour. Intuitive, odd… and very very her.

He fell asleep and half-way expected another revisit to the nightmares… but he didn't dream about Voldemort, or about the Dursleys' abuse. He dreamt of the Friday night, two weeks ago. He dreamt of comfort, warmth and love. It made a change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This one was another tough one. I've been woken in the night by flashes back to a darker past, so I can empathise with Harry quite a bit. And with Luna's story about... you know, I was in that situation before. Apologies if it caused upset, but this is intending to cover the darker side of mental health issues, instead of a romanticisation you see on Tumblr.
> 
> Musical inspiration is The Unnamed Feeling by Metallica - Yes, I know, it's from St Anger, but I feel it absolutely perfectly describes what that 'emptiness' feels like, when depression strikes. But remember, the sun always peeks through the clouds :)


	13. Lego House

12 Grimmauld Place was, true to the name, looking expertly and almost perfectly grim. Having not changed in appearance much since Harry moved in at just 17. Being a bit of a utilitarian – his exact words to Hermione upon being urged to redecorate were "Does it matter as long as I have a roof over my head – he'd never really seen the need to change it.

Why fix what ain't broken? All Harry had done was finally remove the god-awful portrait of Walburga Black, with days of work and some expertly done removal charms courtesy of one Filius Flitwick - "That woman was a pain in the arse at Hogwarts, leave it to me."

That was until Harry had invited Luna to visit for the weekend. After finishing work, a particularly gruelling interrogation session with a Death Eater that somehow established a Muggle Neo-Nazi cell dragging Harry's mood right into the dumps, it picked up when Harry apparated home to find Luna already on the couch.

"Oh, hello Harry!" She greeted him with her now-normal mix of airy perkiness, her shoes on the floor and her feet resting on the coffee table.

"Oh… um… I wasn't expecting you until later… and how the hell did you find the place?" "You told me, in the letter yesterday." Harry put his hand to his forehead and let out a small laugh.

"Yeah.. sorry. Today's been heavy. Had to… interrogate someone." Luna's look turned worried, and she got up from the sofa and pulled Harry into a hug.

"Oh, Harry… that sounds horrible."

Harry nodded into the hug and pulled back. "Ron and I had to process him. Ron always puts on the 'bad cop' act so I don't have to, but it was still rough."

Harry kicked off his loafers and untucked his shirt, giving Luna a small kiss before heading into the living room himself, flopping down next to where Luna was. Following close behind, she sat down next to him and laid her head on his chest, sitting there in silence with him for a few minutes and simply enjoying each other's company.

"I was looking forward to this, you know." Harry murmured. "I spend all day talking to people. Ministers, suspects… Ron."

Luna giggled softly. "He's your best friend Harry, surely he's not that irritating."

Harry scratched behind his ear and smiled. "Well, he's not my best friend. That honour falls to you if I'm honest." Luna couldn't help how wide her smile became and she hugged into Harry harder.

"A little cliché to call your girlfriend your best friend isn't it?"

"Well, do you mind exactly?"

Luna shook her head and buried her face in Harry's chest.

"That answers it then." Harry looked down at her and pulled her into a kiss, before flicking his wand towards the television in the corner. "Film before dinner?" Luna nodded.

"Have you got A Nightmare on Elm Street?" Harry thought for a second, a wry smile on his face. "Original or remake?"

She hit him playfully and said "What do you take me for Harry Potter?! Original, of course."

Harry smirked and flicked to put the DVD in the player. "You're DEFINITELY my girlfriend..."

* * *

Luna's nose stayed wrinkled in mild disgust all the while until her and Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron. "Ugh… all those bloody cars, the pollution is horrid."

Harry squeezed her hand and turned back to her. "I'm used to it…. Shouldn't have to be, but Muggles are… they're lazy, let's be real." Luna snorted and hugged into Harry's chest.

Walking through the bar and straight to the beer garden, Harry waved over to Hannah behind the bar and mouthed "Two pints!" before sitting down at a table with Luna, taking the seat next to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You've been quite affectionate today Harry Potter… what do you want?"

"Ah… I've been rumbled…" Harry took Luna's hand in his and squeezed lightly. "I was gonna ask… Hermione's been bugging me for ages to redecorate the bloody house. I've never asked her because she'd make me get a bunch of shit like throw pillows and posh wallpaper and stuff I don't need."

"And you thought that because I'm your girlfriend that I wouldn't make you get shit like throw pillows and other stuff you don't need?" Harry's face went mildly scared for a second before he caught sight of Luna's expression.

"You're very easy to fool Harry Potter. I'll gladly help you redecorate." She kissed his cheek and he laid his head on her shoulder.

"Thanks. I've always founded it really daunting. I've done sod all since Sirius left it to me and… to be honest, I'm scared of not doing him justice."

"Harry, I think he'd be more annoyed that you haven't covered the walls in motorbike posters and girls in bikinis." Harry laughed and thought to himself.

"Yeah… his room was quite entertaining, wasn't it? It wouldn't be anything major, I just need someone to redecorate with that won't do my head in or beg me to colour-code everything."

Luna shrugged and said "Well, if it's colour-coded then it won't look like visual diarrhoea whenever you walk in the room."

"Well maybe I want visual diarrhoea in my interior design thank you very much."

"You can be VERY sarcastic sometimes Harry Potter."

"And yet you stay around Luna Lovegood." Luna grinned and leaned in for a kiss, only pulling back to breathe and accept the pints from Hannah as she came by with a round. "I wonder though… Have you ever thought about moving? Or at least, buying a new house. I don't know, maybe somewhere like… Ottery St Catchpole?"

"I thought about it. Good idea actually. I'd be close to Ron and Hermione, the Weasleys… you."

"We send each other a letter every day Harry, and when we're together we're attached at the feckin' hip. We're plenty close."

Harry smirked and shifted up closer. "Nah… I think this is better for closeness."

She put a hand on his leg and squeezed gently. "I'm inclined to agree."

Without warning, she took the pint and toasted Harry, with a quick "_Sláinte." _before taking a few seconds to down the pint in one, much to Harry's shock. "What?" She asked, wiping the foam from her top lip. "I'm Irish, and I went out drinking a LOT in Bristol."

Harry sat dumbfounded before stammering out "T-that's quite possibly the sexiest thing I've ever see you do."

"Again… Irish."

* * *

After quite a few pints and a lovely fish supper at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry and Luna apparated home to Grimmauld Place and stumbled, rather comically, into the kitchen. "Nnnow Harry… we must drrrri… ooh, oh dear… we must drink lots of wwwater." Luna slurred.

"Alrigh… **burp** Alright then. S-s-s-should we just get Kreacher to pour them for us. We're in jjjjuuuuuuuuuuuuust a bit of a sttate here." Luna nodded and managed to stumble to a chair and lay back, groaning.

"H-how did I forget the English can drink like that?!" Luna's voice full of amused regret. "It's like a challenge to you! At least with us Irish it's just s-s-sheer alcoholism."

Harry laughed loudly and stumbled to a seat himself. "It'ssss like a sport Luna, to us. Have you ever ss-s-seen Muggle f-football fans? That's impressive and… bloody scary."

Kreacher appeared before Harry could call for him, and something resembling an amused grin spread from ear to wrinkled ear. "Master Harry is drunk I see. And this must be Miss Luna."

Luna smiled and reached out for a handshake. "Lllovely to meet you at last Kreacher, Harry has been singing your praises."

Harry blushed and hid a smile. "Has he now?"

"Why yes Kreacher… he said you've been a wonderful friend to him all the t-time he's lived here." She started whispering to him… whispering impressively loudly.

"I think it's because he's drunk though Kreacher, I don't think he'd admit it any other time." She winked at him and Kreacher, the normally miserable house-elf, found himself laughing, even if it was quiet and low.

"Kreacher is flattered by Master Harry's admission. Now… Kreacher can see you're both incredibly drunk… you need water, don't you?"

Luna put her thumbs up and Harry nodded, a rather inane grin forming. Kreacher snapped his fingers and conjured up a large jug of water between the two and two pint glasses, filling them up without a second thought. "Drink those up and get to bed, the pair of you. Or the hangovers will be horrendous."

Luna looked over with an amused expression. "Kreacher… I'm Irish. Hangovers don't exist. He'll be screwed though."

* * *

Luna and Harry laid in bed upstairs, enjoying each other's company before passing out for the night. "Luna… I have to tell you something."

"What, you're actually squatting here?"

Harry chuckled and hugged into Luna closer, laying his head on her chest. "Ooh… soft… anyway. I love you." Luna smirked.

"I love you too Harry Potter."

"No… I don't think you get it." Harry reached up and pulled Luna's face to his, his eyes locked on hers. "I love you. Not just like a boyfriend normally loves a girlfriend. I love you like a best friend." Luna blushed and started stroking Harry's hair.

"Luna, for this past month you've been the best friend I could have asked for. When we met, I knew we'd have something special. You're my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. I don't just love you… I **fucking** love you."

Luna let out a loud laugh as tears simultaneously welled in the corners of her eyes. "That's simultaneously the funniest and most romantic thing I've ever been told. Granted, I've been told a lot of funny things but not many romantic things, so the sample size is small-" Harry cut her off and kissed her suddenly, deeply and lovingly, running his hands through her hair.

"Luna Lovegood. I love you." Luna smiled down at him and kissed him back, with love, with care… with passion. Sparks of loving electricity flew, and before long they had both passed out; naked, exhausted, but THOROUGHLY satisfied. Harry and Luna's day was happy, their night was happy… and the dreams were happier still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I hope that last part didn't seem too racy, OR too non-descriptive. I am wary of going into any more detail than the hints I've left like this one and with Ron and Hermione a chapter or two ago, as I think too many fics will end up relying on smut and having it detract from the story. But anyway! This was another, lighter chapter, a nice couple's activity day between the two and... a showing off of Luna's Irish heritage coming out in a rather stereotypical way.
> 
> Musical inspiration is Lego House by Ed Sheeran; not TOO in tune with the overall tone of the chapter - much like the last time one of his songs was the musical inspiration - but connected to the theme of redecorating I suppose? Plus, I really like the song! :)


	14. Pictures of You

Harry groaned and put a hand to his forehead, the headache setting in and the light already burning his eyes. "Oh god… how much did we drink last night?" He said to Luna… or at least, attempted to, until he realised the bed was empty. A slight panic set in and he shouted out "Luna! Where've you gone sweetie?"

"Hold on! Just coming back up." Harry sighed in relief and laid his head back on the pillow, watching the door as it opened, Luna coming in carrying two cups of tea. He smiled as he saw her and she returned it. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, her wand being the lynchpin holding it together, and she wore an oversized T-shirt… a look Harry thought he could get used to.

"I made it as strong as possible, it'll hopefully kick like a donkey." She set the cup down on Harry's bedside table and leaned down to give him a short kiss, before heading back to her side and getting into bed next to him.

"So… did you enjoy yesterday?" A grin spread over Harry's face in response to Luna's question, and he nodded.

"Quite a lot. Getting drunk and… 'enjoying your company' is quite nice, to be honest." Luna blushed and buried her face in Harry's chest. "No, but really… it was lovely. I'm… I'm really glad you felt safe enough to do that."

Luna squeezed Harry into a hug and she looked up at him, with those silver eyes he couldn't quite get out of his mind. "Another notch on the bedpost then." She giggled, kissing him on the cheek. "No… it was lovely. And before you ask… contraceptive charms are a lifesaver." Harry snorted and kissed her forehead, putting his arm around her.

"Good girl, nice and safe." They sat in companionable silence for around half an hour, only exchanging little kisses and Luna's small squeaks of happiness before breaking the silence once more.

"We should probably get up at some point today." Luna thought aloud, Harry nodding in agreement.

"Yeah… I do fancy breakfast actually."

"Harry, my name's not breakfast, it's Luna." Harry snorted and held in laughter, Luna looking away smirking and taking her first sip from the now-cool cup of tea. "It's easy to make you laugh, isn't it Harry Potter?"

Harry nodded and cleared a tear of laughter away from his eyes. "It's easy when it's you." She squeaked again and gave him a peck on the lips.

"I want to get a start on the decorating today anyway. Just do a few animation charms, get licks of paint up… get my lady love to do some fine detail work..." Luna blushed again and almost hid behind the cup of tea, drinking the rest up in short order. "Then we can just veg out and watch another horror film before dinner."

"We could watch Shaun of the Dead after. How's that for a slice of fried gold?" Harry burst into suppressed laughter again, as Luna giggled and hugged into Harry again.

"Oh dear… so far, your taste in horror films has been impeccable."

"And my taste in men." It was Harry's turn to blush now and he hugged her back.

"You're embarrassing me Luna… say it again though."

* * *

Harry was… a little bit worried. After getting the paint and starting on some of the animation charms for the paintbrushes, Luna had urged him out of the house. _"Harry, I've had a surprise planned for you since you first mentioned the redecorating. Feck off and let me do it." _she'd said after urging him out. "_Go and visit Ron and Hermione or something, I'll send a message when it's ready."_

"I just… I really don't know what Luna has planned. I mean, I don't particularly like surprises at the best of times, but this has just got me a bit… agitated." He said to Hermione over at the bungalow. Hermione smiled and took a sip of her tea before replying.

"Harry, she loves the bones of you and I get the sense she knows you quite well; I highly doubt she'll do anything you won't like. My best guess is that it's something really lovely actually. Remember all the portraits of us on the ceiling?"

Harry nodded and thought back to her room for a second. "Yeah… that was lovely. I dunno, I guess it's just residual anxiety over it. Plus she's alone in my house… with her only visiting for the first time yesterday I thought she'd want to be a bit more familiar with it first."

"Yeah, that's a point… how was your day with her yesterday?"

Harry smirked and looked away for a second. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron and got hammered. She's tiny but dear lord she can drink."

"Luna drinks?"

"Did you forget she's Irish?"

"Stereotyping a bit there, aren't we Harry?"

"Her words, nor mine." Harry grinned. "Yeah… she drinks like a fish. But… yesterday was lovely. We watched a film, went to the Leaky Cauldron, and..." Harry blushed and turned away, piquing Hermione's interest.

"What… what did you do?" She leaned in, pressing Harry for an answer.

"Well… we… got home. And… we..." Harry looked away again with a wry smile, his face turning even redder.

Hermione was still confused and pressed further. "Harry, what happened?"

Ron walked in from the back garden grinning like an idiot, starting to chuckle at Harry's expression, and Hermione's innocence. "He's trying to say that he knows Luna Lovegood biblically."

"As of late last night, yeah." Hermione's eyes narrowed for a second as she tried to parse the sentence… then they widened.

"Oh… OH! Um… uh… how did that… turn out?" Hermione stammered out awkwardly.

Harry started laughing quietly. "It turned out VERY well. And Luna DEFINITELY enjoyed herself." Ron burst into laughter and fought to keep himself from falling over, Hermione's face slowly turning red and Harry's slowly growing grin taking over his.

* * *

Harry apparated into the kitchen as per Luna's message, and he heard the muffled sounds of The Cure playing over his record player in the living room. "Luna! I'm home!" Almost on queue, she wandered out of the living room and Harry stopped for a second.

She walked out, blotches of paint covering her clothes, and an absent-minded, pleased expression on her face before catching sight of Harry, her pleased expression turning to one of delight. She let out an excited squeak and rushed to hug him, jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. She decided to hang there for a second as Harry hugged her back, chuckling before the first word was spoken.

"I wasn't gone that long!" He said as he put her down, giving her a short kiss before looking around. "Wow… you've done an…" He trailed off as she stood there with a blindfold, smiling widely still. "Uh… where did you get that? And why did you have it?"

She kept her smile and said "That would be telling… for both questions, truth be told." She moved behind him and went to put the blindfold on him.

"Wait… what about the rest of the house?"

"Oh, that's all boring. Did it all to what you wanted anyway, this is just what I really want to show you." "Okay…."

She lowered the blindfold over his glasses and wrapped it carefully, before tugging Harry gently by the hand and slowly leading him into the living room. "Now… I spent all day on this. It would normally have taken much longer but… I don't know… doing nice things for you is a fantastic motivator." She kissed his hand as she led him into the room, and the music got louder.

"Which song is this?"

"Oh… it's Pictures of You. My favourite song from Disintegration actually Harry. Quite appropriate for what I'm going to show you..." She trailed off and flicked the door closed behind her. "Okay… take off the blindfold Harry."

Harry slowly slid it off, and his eyes went wide at what he saw before him. At the top of the wall, near to the ceiling, read the words "Friends are the family you choose." His eyes travelled down and his smile grew so wide it hurt. Luna had taken the time, the effort, and the love, to paint every member of Dumbledore's Army.

Fred and George together as if Fred had never passed away, Colin Creevey with his camera… even Lavender Brown, long before Greyback had savaged her during the Battle of Hogwarts. Front and centre, was Luna and Harry, Luna with a sprig of mistletoe in her hand.

"Do you remember that first time I came to the DA?" Luna asked, holding Harry's hand tight.

"Yeah… vaguely." He replied, still in wonder.

"Well… that was the first time, possibly ever, that I felt I had friends. Real friends. That sprig of mistletoe?" Harry nodded, turning back to her… spotting a sprig of mistletoe in her hand.

"I took it when we broke up for Christmas… as a reminder. A reminded that I do have friends." Harry smirked, tears in his eyes.

"What about the Nargles?"

"I didn't mind as long as I kept the memory of my friends."

Harry just let the tears fall at that point, and wrapped Luna in the tightest hug he could muster, his chest starting to heave with sobs. Luna, with tears of her own just cresting at the corners of her eyes, hugged Harry back, and stroked his hair comfortingly.

"I want you to remember Harry. Remember, if the black dog is on your shoulder, or you're triggered, and your mind flashes back to when things weren't as peaceful, as content… I want you to come down here. I want you to sit in a chair, look up at the mural… and remember that you are loved." She pulled back and cupped his face with her hands, staring into those jade-green eyes of his that she'd grown to love more and more. "You are loved, so so much." She pulled him into a kiss and then went back to hugging him, as the music began to swell.

Harry was moved. Deeply. So few had shown him love like this, so few people cared. But one thing did niggle at him… "How did you manage it so quickly?"

Luna's giggle broke through the tears and she simply pointed to her sketchpad, open on the table and on a sketch of the mural. "I drew it a LONG time ago. I just transposed it with some charms and filled in the details." "...you're fantastic."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Another happy, fluffy chapter (I'm in the mood for those lately!) with a VERY sweet ending. I've had that part in mind since I first started brainstorming the fic as a whole, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing the bit; sorry if it's a bit cliche, or saccharine, love can be like that sometimes.
> 
> Musical inspiration is Pictures of You by The Cure; partially inspired by the wonderful mural, and partially inspired by a conversation a friend and I had on the train about the fic - "I did always have Luna pegged as liking The Cure." :)


	15. White Blank Page

Luna found it hard to sleep without Harry. She discovered this a few days after returning from his, after spending the weekend. Not that she didn't love her home, or her dad, but she never felt the bliss, the true bliss that feels like a warm and comforting blanket, without him.

She knew in her head that it sounded so totally cliché, so normal of so many paint-by-numbers romantic books but she knew that in her heart of hearts, that sometimes life is stranger than fiction. He was her comfort blanket, to put it a certain way.

This was one such night. Nightmares for the first time in months came flooding to her. Of her mum dying. Of being back in the Malfoy Manor dungeons, of the time she attempted… 'that'. She woke to found herself already crying, her pillow stained with tears. Not wanting to wallow, she got out of bed, donned her dressing gown and headed downstairs into the kitchen, finding her dad there at the table, looking ahead with a cup of tea in his hands.

"Daddy?" Luna called to him from the doorway, and he turned and smiled a small smile, before turning back to look at nothing in particular.

"Hello Moonbeam. What's got you up so late? Or…" Xenophilius looked at the wall clock and winced, noticing the time sitting firmly at 4am. "So early?"

"They're back." She slumped into the chair next to him and poured herself a cup from the pot of tea in the middle of the table. "The nightmares, I mean."

Xenophilius sighed and reached out to hold Luna's hand, stroking it comfortingly. "Oh Moonbeam, that's horrid." Luna nodded and took a long sip from her tea before replying.

"Aye… it was one of those nasty, jumbled up ones. When I was at Malfoy Manor, the… attempt… Mummy passing away. One of those ones that… sorry for swearing Daddy… but one of those ones that really fucks you up."

Xenophilius smiled a sad smile. "Don't apologise for that my sweet, you're a woman now, I can't tell you what to do."

"What brought you down here Daddy?"

Xenophilius sighed again and pulled his hand away, resting his chin on his palms, still looking ahead. "Lots of things. Being a bit thirsty was an obvious one. But… something has been bothering me lately."

"What is it?"

Xenophilius rubbed his face and turned to Luna. "A fear has entered my mind. A fear I was familiar with a while ago. I'm… I feel stupid saying it actually. But… I'm scared. I'm scared of losing you."

Luna leaned in. "What? Losing me?"

"Yes… losing you. I got… I got very lonely when you were at Harry's all weekend. And I felt like, slowly, I was going to lose you. I was going to see you less and less and then one day it'd be the last time I see you."

Luna choked up and held her dad's hand tightly, harder than she had since she was a little girl. "Daddy… why on earth would you think that?"

Xenophilius shrugged. "You're a young woman. I can't expect you to live with me forever, and I don't want you to. I want you to be like you were in Bristol again, I want you to go out into the world and fly, soaring along. And in these past few months since Harry Potter came back into your life, I've seen that light in your eyes again."

"And seeing that light, that love for life in your eyes again has made my heart soar, truly! Harry is so wonderful for you, he's such a nice boy… but… I'm afraid of him stealing you from me. I lost your Mummy. I… I don't particularly want to lose you." Xenophilius started to choke up and he gripped Luna's hand tight.

"I know that one day, we won't have those trips to Sweden anymore, seeing Crumple-Horned Snorkack nests, or spending those afternoons by the stream fishing for freshwater plimpies. We won't have those evenings where I tend to the fairy colony near the pond while you sit drawing them. Soon… you're not going to be just my little girl any more. You're a young woman that I am so immensely proud of that it hurts."

Luna was crying now herself, and she pulled her chair over, next to Xenophilius' and laid her head on his shoulder, sniffing and putting her arm around him. "Oh Daddy… why didn't you tell me?"

Xenophilius kissed Luna on the head and heaved a soft sob. "Because you deserve to feel wonderful, not sad and sitting in the kitchen with your dad crying."

She laughed and wiped her eyes. "Well… you don't have to worry about that Daddy. I'm trying to get Harry to move down here."

Xenophilius smiled. "That'd be lovely. He's such a nice lad, he's so very good to you. And… you're very good to him." He kissed her head again and finished his cup of tea, refilling straight away. "I hope he knows I think the world of him."

"He will do, if he doesn't already. I… I have an idea." She kissed her dad on the cheek and walked back upstairs with her cup of tea, an idea burning in her mind.

Xenophilius smiled and started speaking… "Oh Pandora… I'm not entirely sure I'll be losing her after all."

* * *

_Hi Harry!_

_Missing you already, that weekend was wonderful. I'm so so glad you loved the mural, I'm still surprised at how much you cried over it, I thought it'd just be a few sniffles and we'd get to watching that film, but no, you were… so wonderfully touched by it._

_I have… a bit of a strange request. I've just gotten done talking to Daddy about something. He's worried. He's worried that… I'm not going to be his little girl any more, one of these days. He feels like he's losing me. He has no issues with you at all, he loves you to death, but he's scared that I'm eventually going to be more interested in you than I'm going to be interested in spending time with him. And that's not true._

_I told him you were thinking of moving down here, or at least having a house in the village, and that perked him up a bit but I think he's still a little bit panicky over not really having his little girl any more. It upset me to think about, but I had an idea._

_Whenever you can, whenever you're free this week… can you pop in to see him? I think he'd… really appreciate it. I think he'd appreciate the effort you'd want to put in too._

_Love you so much xxxx_

* * *

Harry folded the letter back into his suit pocket as he stood outside the Rookery, slightly nervous. He'd read the letter, and felt for Xenophilius. Even going back to… when he was blackmailed by the Death Eaters, it was borne from his care for his daughter, that purest form of love.

Knocking on the door, he smiled as he heard from behind "I think someone's at the door Daddy, I'll get it." and found himself being tackle-hugged as soon as the door opened. Leaning down to give her a kiss, he hugged her back and smiled.

"How was work?" Luna asked, muffled by Harry's chest.

"Oh… don't. Ron and I were in the field today… and I was bored to bloody tears."

Luna hugged Harry tighter in response. "That's no fun sweets… anyway… Daddy's in the back garden. Want to go talk to him now?" Harry nodded and she lead him through.

"Daddy, Harry's popped by." Xenophilius looked up from his typewriter and took a second to think before getting up and immediately hugging Harry. "I don't even think the Weasleys are this huggy." Harry thought to himself.

"Harry, how are you doing my boy? Oh, take your bloody shoes off, you're not at work anymore." Xenophilius admonished, going back to sitting at the typewriter. Harry, smirking, obliged and took his tie off too, sitting down on the bench next to Xenophilius and relaxing.

Luna leaned down to give Harry a kiss and said "I'm gonna go have a bath, will you be alright with Daddy for a bit?"

Harry nodded and kissed Luna back, looking down at his feet and starting to wring his hands. "See you in a little bit Moonbeam!" Xenophilius waved, not looking away from his typewriter.

Harry and him sat quietly for a bit, only birdsong and the clicking of the typewriter breaking the silence. Harry was about to say something when Xenophilius beat him to the punch, breaking the unsaid tension.

"I'm going to hazard a guess that you're not popping in for a leisurely visit Harry."

"Oh… oh… um-"

"I know Luna sent you a letter this morning. She's perceptive but she's incredibly transparent at the same time."

Harry sighed and nodded. "Yeah. She… she thinks it's a good idea I come and talk to you. You know… about what was said."

Xenophilius nodded as he kept working. "It's… it's certainly not a bad idea."

"I can't imagine how it feels… how it feels to know your kid is growing up."

"You will do eventually Harry. It's not exactly pleasant. Bittersweet at best."

"You know you have… nothing to fear like that. I never got to have the relationship that you and Luna have. I want her to have what you two have for as long as the pair of you can manage. I'd never take her away from you Xenophilius."

Xenophilius smiled a small smile and stopped typing for a second. "You're a good lad Harry. I know it's an irrational fear, but… you know, I'm scared of losing her. I said to her last night that I was so happy she's doing well again. But it's that same happiness that has me scared of losing her. If she… if she ever moves with you to London I'll be bloody distraught."

Harry smiled. "That's nothing to worry about Xenophilius. I was thinking of moving down here anyway. Closer to Luna, closer to the Weasleys, closer to Ron and Hermione… closer to the people that matter, if that makes sense."

"It makes PERFECT sense Harry. The country air is good for you too… aside from the cow shit."

Harry chuckled. "That's one way to put it. Life is… slower down here too. It'd be ideal actually. I apparate up to London for work, then apparate back. I'd come see Luna for a bit, then head home-"

"Or sleep over for the night." Xenophilius gave him a knowing glance and went back to typing.

"Um…"

"Oh she told me Harry. She mentioned you stayed for a while when I was in Sweden."

"Oh… oh thank God..."

"You can visit at any time Harry, don't feel like it's ever a bad time. You're not limited to when… the badness hits."

"She told you that too, eh?"

"She told me you only managed to calm down and relax when she held you."

"Yeah… that's on the money."

"She also told me about how hammered you both got on Friday night. What were you thinking, drinking with an Irish girl?!" Harry started to snicker. "The Irish have livers of steel! I have enough stories about what Pandora and I would get up to when we would get drinking with her family in Galway, never mind what Luna and you get up to. What was it she told me? Oh… five pints, three rounds of firewhisky shots EACH and-"

"And only a burger and chips to soak it up with. But her burger was ridiculous! How can vegetarians have food that spicy?! I swear she asked for extra chilli with hers."

"She usually does."

Harry and Xenophilius carried on their hearty, heartwarming conversation for almost an age, with Luna proudly watching from her bedroom window. "I knew Daddy would have nothing to worry about..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I've always really liked Xenophilius, and part of the fun of this fic so far has been fleshing him out, and exploring his character, because as much as I love JK for what she's done and giving us this wonderful universe in Harry Potter, she has a knack for having some characters be one-dimensional. I love the idea of Harry and Xenophilius becoming close, and I thought it was time they bonded. :)
> 
> Musical inspiration is White Blank Page by Mumford and Sons. Like a few songs so far, not 100% in line with the tone of the chapter, but it's very much a wistful, sad song, one of my favourites by Mumford and Sons


	16. Love is Only a Feeling

"_Mr Potter, you've been doing remarkably. Your mood has been soaring. Yes, you've had blips but everyone on the road that people like you travel has blips, they're a part of it. But I can sense… something is a bit off again. Is it… are you having any troubles with Luna?"_

_"No… definitely not. It's a bit cliché to say but she's been, for want of a better term, my 'better' half. I'm actually planning on getting a home closer to her, and asking her to move in."_

"_That's excellent news. Is it the residual stress that's getting to you? Uprooting, and moving somewhere different? Familiar, yeah, but still very different?"_

_"No. Not at all. It's.. well. I, um, I have a ritual, every year on my birthday."_

_"Oh… oh yes, it's coming up soon, isn't it Mr Potter?"_

_"Yeah, next Wednesday. 22… good lord, I feel older."_

_"I can imagine. This 'ritual.' It's not dark magic, is it?"_

"_No, of course not. I… I go to Godric's Hollow."_

_"Oh. Oh..."_

_"Yeah. I have this thing… every year, I go and sit by my mum and dad's headstones… and I just talk to them."_

_"And… 'fill them in', so to speak?"_

_"Yeah. I was gonna take Luna with me. I mean, I've met her dad… it's about time she met my parents."_

* * *

There was a small pop as Harry and Luna apparated into town, and Luna took the time to look around for a second, thinking, getting her bearings. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we in Godric's Hollow?"

Harry paused for a bit and then slowly nodded, reaching his hand out to Luna. "Yeah. Yeah, this is… this is Godric's Hollow." Luna took his hand and started to walk along with him, slowly.

"I was gonna tell you, but you're fantastic at guessing. But… um… don't really know how to explain it right now. Why we're here, I mean."

Luna rested her head on his arm as they walked, squeezing his hand tight. "If we're in Godric's Hollow, I can hazard a guess. I know Daddy does a similar thing at night… when he wants to talk to Mummy."

Harry chuckled softly. "You're… impossibly perceptive, you know that?"

"Call it a talent."

They kept walking, quietly, hand-in-hand until they found the cemetery, where Harry halted for a second, a lump in his throat. "Sorry… it, just happens, every time I visit." Luna nodded empathetically and gave him a hug, Harry wrapping his arm around her shoulder in response.

"Just… go when you're ready sweetheart." Luna whispered, stroking his back comfortingly. Harry nodded and kissed her forehead, before getting out of the hug and walking ahead, Luna trailing behind him, with a sad smile.

She watched him move purposefully towards two modest headstones, and noticed him look down and sigh. He knelt down on the grass and shuffled a bit between the two plots, before starting to speak.

"Hi Mum… hi Dad. Another year, I suppose. I'm 22 now, though, I imagine you both knew that already."

Luna slowly headed up and stopped within a few feet, keeping her distance tentatively. "This is **his **time…" she thought to herself, and she looked down at her trainers, trying not to… intrude.

"It's been a bit of a rough year, I can't lie. Depression, all the trauma coming from the war finally got to me. It put me in a bit of an unpleasant place. It would have been easier with you two there. Not just with you two, with Remus, and Sirius, and everyone we lost, but if it was just you two, I wouldn't have minded."

"I'm… I'm not with Ginny any more. We're still friends, there's no bad blood, but it was time for that part of my life to come to a close, I think. I… I… oh God..." He trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose. Luna walked to him and knelt next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. He relaxed when he felt the hand, and turned to her with a smile, his eyes misting.

"I met someone else though. I think you two would love her. You might have even gone to school with her mum and dad. I've mentioned her before, but that was before she became my girlfriend. Remember Luna? Yeah. Her."

Luna felt tears of her own and she wiped them away quickly, resting her head on Harry's shoulder as he spoke. "She's always been very good to me. When we reconnected a while back, she was the person I wanted to talk to most. She empathised, so so much. She's always been a bit odd..." Luna giggled quietly, putting her arm around Harry's waist and hugging him close. "...but that's why I like her so much. Sirius would have LOVED her too, I think she likes The Cure more than he ever did."

Luna let out a quiet laugh and wiped a tear from her eye. "I brought her along today, actually. I've met her dad, I thought it was time I brought her." He turned to her and nudged her, nodding towards the headstones.

"Oh… um… are you sure Harry?"

He simply nodded, giving her a short kiss. "I think it'd be nice if you said something. Don't feel obligated though, I'm sure they'll appreciate that you came anyway."

Luna leaned slightly forward and cleared her throat. "Um… hello… James and Lily. I'm… Luna. I don't have a whole lot to say, but I'm very happy you decided to have Harry 22 years ago now. He's an excellent hugger and he can put up an effort when we go out drinking." Harry snorted and wiped his eyes. "He told me a lot about the both of you and you both sound lovely. I hope we meet eventually, though, no offence, hopefully not too soon."

Harry broke into a small fit of laughter and leaned against Luna, resting his head on hers. "I hope you both know I love your son deeply. And… by extension, you. You were good people, you brought a good man into the world. Thank you." Luna went quiet again and hugged into Harry, her tears starting to flow. Harry put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"That's Luna." He said, muffled.

They sat there for another half-hour or so, Harry chattering away to the headstones, as the warmth of the summer sun and the gentle breeze helped them stay comfortable… almost as if James and Lily were offering a warm hug to them both.

* * *

Harry and Luna sat on the couch in 12 Grimmauld Place's living room, Luna's head on Harry's chest, engrossed in Luna's latest horror film suggestion in Hellraiser.

"Thank you." Harry said after a long silence.

"Hmm?" Luna mumbled back. "For… for what?"

"For today. It really meant a lot that you… you said what you said to the headstones."

Luna leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before laying on his chest once more. "Not a problem Harry. Did Ginny not do that?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah… she tried, but she didn't quite feel comfortable. I really don't blame her, it's quite weird to chat to your mum and dad's headstones." Harry snorted and pulled Luna tighter to him.

"Honestly… it really means the world that you did that Luna. It's always been one of the quirks that I've been wary of showing people."

"This is ME you're talking to Harry. Did you think that'd be a quirk that even I would baulk at?"

"Oh, no, I know that… but I was wary regardless. Thank you… again." He hugged her even tighter and pulled her up for a short kiss. "I've got a bit of a surprise for you, actually."

Luna perked up a bit at this and sat up on the sofa. "A surprise. Harry Potter has a surprise for me. A surprise? Is it a nice surprise? I quite like surprises and-" Harry started to giggle as Luna got slowly more excited and flustered. He rather enjoyed her like this; he found her impossibly cute all the time but this tended just to make him laugh.

"Yeah, yeah… Luna, calm down!" He kept giggling and put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. She nodded and clapped her hands to her mouth, prompting Harry to giggle harder. "Okay… you ready?" She nodded frantically, squeaking enthusiastically despite the hands in the way.

"Alright… you remember we chatted about me having a house in Ottery St Catchpole?" Her eyes went wide and she nodded frantically. "Well… I… I have a viewing tomorrow. A place near the chip shop." Luna's eyes went wider, if that was possible, and she started to bounce in place on the sofa, talking rapidly underneath her still-cupped hands.

Between bursts of giggling, Harry managed to get the next part out without TOO much trouble. "And… after I've closed the deal… I was wonder if you wanted to-"

Luna swept him into a hug and started peppering him with kisses, rapidly repeating over and over again "YESHARRYPOTTERIWILLMOVEINWITHYOU" much to Harry's amusement and… appreciation.

After a few minutes of laughing, Luna's excited gibbering and random spurts of snogging, things slowed down, and Luna caught her breath at last.

"You WERE asking me to move in, weren't you? Because if not then that whole thing was just…" Luna looked away blushing.

Harry grabbed her hand and stroked it affectionately, still chuckling. "Oh God yeah. You're good at predicting things."

They had one last kiss then started hugging on the sofa again, going back to the film, this time with unbreakable smiles on their faces. Harry knew he'd just started on another chapter in his life… but he was prepared this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Another idea I've had since I first started brainstorming the fic, Harry talking to his parent's headstones. My first idea was to have it earlier on, when he was nearer to rock bottom and have the chapter be a bit more sombre, and heartwrenching. But... well, I'm a bit of a sucker for nice, sentimental things, and I thought I'd have Luna there to make it even nicer and sentimental...er. If that's a real word (it probably isn't) :)
> 
> Musical inspiration is Love Is Only a Feeling by The Darkness; one of my absolutely favourite songs (despite my preferred stuff nowadays being bands like Behemoth and The Black Dahlia Murder), and one of my favourite bands. Nice and sentimental, not much else needs to be said methin


	17. I Want to Break Free

Luna sat in her bedroom, idly sketching away while occasionally throwing up glances to her clock, excitement beginning to form. "_The deal on the house came through, I'll come get you at 4'o'clock, Hermione and I should have furnished the place by then. I hope you like it here, there's a lovely garden, and there's even a really nice study for your art. Love you."_

The short note made Luna's heart do a backflip or twelve, and she still couldn't quite believe it. This time last year, she was still recovering from… 'that'. She had still been hurting, quite painfully. It was all grey and murky until she'd bumped into Harry, purely by chance, at St Mungo's. How, by chance, they'd ended up writing to each other daily. And how, by chance, they'd ended up falling in love.

She always smirked when thinking things like that, her inner sarcastic monologue piping up. "Oh feck off woman, that's so cliché it hurts." She'd started saying to herself. She knew it was cliché, but… that's why she was happy. Sometimes, something being cliché isn't so bad.

She looked up when she heard a knock at her bedroom door, and saw her dad standing there, a proud but sad look on his face. "Can I talk to you for a bit Moonbeam?" She nodded and he slowly walked in to take a seat at the edge of her… old bed.

Leaning forward, looking at the ground, Luna could feel the sadness radiating from him. That hopeful, proud, but still hopelessly downbeat sadness, that feeling Xenophilius always knew would come, but privately hoped it wouldn't… his only child was leaving the nest.

"I'll keep this room the same you know. I won't change a thing. I… don't WANT to change a thing." He said to her quietly, voice cracking slightly. "You know… it's not too late to change your mind. Harry said the same thing when he came round last night."

Luna sighed and turned around, shuffling her chair closer to the bed. "Listen Daddy… I know you don't want me to leave. But you know… you know I'm going to visit at LEAST every other day."

"What about our trips to Sweden?"

"They shouldn't be too much of a problem Daddy, you know that."

"And fishing for Plimpies?"

"Absolutely."

"Then why do I still want you not to go?" Xenophilius looked up at her with a tear trailing down his face.

Luna wrapped him in a hug immediately, and started crying herself. "Daddy, I know it's hard. But… you knew I'd go again eventually."

"Yeah… but… oh God..." He broke down and sobbed into Luna's shoulder, his heart obviously breaking. "You're my little girl, the last connection I have to your Mummy… I don't want to lose you!"

Luna's sobbing got harder at this, and they spent a few minutes just crying, holding each other and not particularly wanting to separate. Luna was the first to break the 'silence', and she hugged him tighter before saying "You're NEVER going to lose me Daddy. Never. Not in a million feckin' years." She pulled back and kissed his forehead. "I'll ALWAYS be your little girl and I'll always be your connection to Mummy. Me moving in with Harry won't change that. Hell, if I ever get married to Harry, it won't change."

"I know that… Harry's made sure I know that, you've made sure I know that. But… I guess I'm just being a stubborn father. Not wanting you to go." Xenophilius took her hand and stroked it, still not looking up. "I suppose it's borne from me… not wanting to feel alone in the house."

"Again Daddy… nothing to worry about. I'll come every other day at least, and Harry will come in too."

"He's a good lad, is your Harry."

"I know… I bagged me a good one." They shared a laugh and sniffed, sitting on the bed still.

"I think I needed to get that out. I feel better."

"Sometimes a good cry is what a person needs. I want you to remember this though Daddy. I love you. I always will, and you will never, ever be alone. I'm going to make sure of it, and so is Harry. You're always welcome over at the house, and you'll always be welcome in London too. You got that?" Xenophilius nodded slowly and hugged Luna again until he heard a soft _**pop **_from downstairs.

"Luna? Are you upstairs?" Harry called from the living room, starting to head up the stairs.

"Aye, I was just talking to Daddy."

He came into view and stopped at the doorway. "Um… would you prefer I wait?"

Luna shook her head and got up to go hug him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "It's fine Harry. Everything moved in?"

"Uh, yeah, Hermione and I moved the last of the boxes in. I left your clothes in the chest so you can arrange them though, that alright?" Luna nodded and gave him another kiss, pulling away to grab her sketchbook and pencil.

Harry took this opportunity to wrap Xenophilius in a strong, sudden hug. Xenophilius let out a small gasp but quickly reciprocated the hug, smiling and feeling fresh tears prick at the corners of his eyes. "Remember Xenophilius, you're always welcome. We're only down the road, so just pop in any time you want to. Ooh, Luna?"

Luna turned to him with a small "Hmm?" "Did you want to do a housewarming party?"

Luna nodded with a small smile and said "Aye, that'd be lovely. Nothing big though."

"Good… Xenophilius, I was gonna say, we were going to have a small party some time soon anyway, please come along, we think it'd be lovely. No pressure though, so if you wanna come over another time… that's alright."

Xenophilius smiled and looked Harry in the eye for a second. "You're a good lad Harry. Take care of Luna, you hear?"

Harry smirked and looked back at her, flicking through her sketchbook. "Gladly."

* * *

Harry sat on the bed of their new house and watched Luna brush her hair, humming a tune that Harry thought familiar. "What are you humming sweets?"

"Oh… just The Cure again."

"Ah, thought it sounded familiar. And..." Harry looked at the calendar to remind himself for a second before continuing. "It's Friday today, isn't it?"

"Yes it is Harry Potter."

"Are you in love?"

"Yes I am Harry Potter."

He leaned over and wrapped her in a hug from behind, Luna letting out a small chuckle.

"What do you expect? It's my favourite song."

"I did remember earlier… you know we've been together about two months now?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Two months and I've already had you move in. Not that I mind."

Harry kissed her neck gently and nuzzled her shoulder, provoking a happy, satisfied squeak from Luna. "Did you think that this time last year, you'd be my girlfriend and we'd move in after two months?"

"Not really. Did you think that you'd be shagging Luna Lovegood?" Harry burst into laughter and kept Luna in a tight hug from behind.

"No… but I seem to hear no complaints from you." He felt Luna blush and she finished brushing her hair, turning around to sit in his lap.

"And you never will Harry Potter." She leaned in and started to kiss his neck, stroking his hair and wrapping around him tighter, and feeling… warmer. Harry kissed her back and started to undress, before the passion took them and their love was realised once more, not just in a carnal, basal way, but in a way only two people with deep love in their hearts could comprehend. As they collapsed in a heap, sweating from exhaustion and giddy with euphoria and love, they wrapped each other in a loving embrace and whispered sweet nothings until they slept. Content and truly happy, for the first time in a long while. It was Friday… and they were in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A heartfelt conversation with his daughter, some tears, annd even a hug from the boyfriend. Quite active for Xenophilius methinks! And a bit of a saucy end of the day for Harry and Luna as well! Though I think, as always, the love was the main motivator over the lust :)
> 
> Musical inspiration was I Want to Break Free by Queen, quite fitting for Luna flying the nest I think, plus it's a Queen song that I like quite a lot!


	18. Home Sweet Home

The sun's rays broke through the curtains, and Harry started to stir, blinking in the light. Memories of last night came to him, pleasant memories of the start of another chapter of his life. A new home in Ottery St Catchpole, Luna moving in, the… 'breaking in' of the new bed. A warm smile spread and he leaned over to kiss Luna softly, still asleep.

"Luna… oi, Luna!" He whisper-shouted, nudging her gently. "Are you awake yet?" She started to stir and he held her closer, almost feeling her smile begin to open on her face, ear-to-ear.

"Mmhm… good morning Harry Potter." She turned around in his arms and wrapped her own around his waist, nuzzling in to his chest.

"So… how was your first night in our new house?"

"Ooh… wonderful." She replied in her dreamlike cadence, running her hands up his back. "It's the happiest I've been since… well, when you asked me to be your girlfriend in the first place."

"That was only two months ago!"

"Aye, you make me quite happy." She let out one of those squeaks that melted Harry's heart and nuzzled into his shoulder harder, making him chuckle softly.

"Likewise. It's weird though, isn't it? Three months ago, I was holing myself up in 12 Grimmauld Place and I was in… a personal hell." Luna nodded into his shoulder and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "And I don't think you'll mind me saying that-"

"I wasn't in the best place either."

"Yeah. If I hadn't listened to Kingsley, I'd still be holed up."

"And you'd have never met up with me again."

Harry looked down and smiled proudly. "Yeah. I wouldn't have met up with you again. I wouldn't have written you all those letters."

"You'd have never sat and hugged me in the Leaky Cauldron pub garden." Luna started stroking his chest affectionately, looking up at him. "You'd have never taken me for chips and asked me to be your girlfriend. Any regrets?"

"That I didn't do it sooner." She squeaked again and blushed heavily, hiding her face into his shoulder once more. Harry smirked and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. Lilac and raspberries. He could get used to this every morning.

"We should probably get up at some point you know?" Luna said, muffled again by Harry's shoulder. He nodded and said "Yeah… probably a good idea."

"Do you want to though?"

"Not really."

"Want to just lay here and cuddle until we can be arsed to get up?"

"God yeah."

* * *

Luna was sitting outside in the back garden, her sketchpad in her lap and resting her feet on the chair opposite when Harry came outside with some cups of tea. "Careful when you drink it, it's quite hot." Luna smiled and looked over at him as he sat down, putting her sketchpad down and sidling next to him on the bench.

"Harry… I wanted to ask you something."

"Whatever it is, it's Ron's fault."

Luna giggled and laid her head on his shoulder. "I was going to say… why do you like me?" Harry was taken aback for a second and started to stammer until Luna let out another soft giggle and linked her hand with his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"I know you love me Harry, don't think I'm questioning that. I just want to know… why?" Feeling Harry relax, he rubbed her hand with his thumb and sighed.

"It's not easy to put in words you know. I think it goes back to… that first time we met. You remember, on the carriage into Hogwarts?"

"When you first saw the thestrals."

"Yeah."

"No one else saw them. Not Ron, or Hermione, or Ginny… you did though. I can remember what you said on the carriage too." "'You're about as sane as I am.'" Harry grinned. "Yeah… I admit, I didn't **quite **know how to react to that at the time. But it was a pretty good first impression… that you trusted me even then."

"Then when I came out and found you feeding the thestrals. The way you treated them, that respect, that reverence you had for them, was amazing. That talk about… understanding differences, and perception in general. And then you mentioned that both you and your dad believed me… that mattered a lot. More than you'd think."

"So I guess… if I were to condense WHY I love you… it's because from the start, you've had 100% trust in me, and support. You've always been there, and you've never quite lost that really innocent wonder you had either. It might be dampened, but it's still there."

Luna let out a soft mewl and nuzzled into his shoulder again. "That was very sweet of you to say Harry Potter. I… trust that it's true, as well." She smirked, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

Harry leaned forward to grab his cup of tea, starting to cool down, and said to Luna before taking a sip "So… I suppose I should ask the same. Why do you love me?"

Luna thought for a second as Harry took a sip, before blurting out "I suppose it's because you have a lovely bum." and causing Harry to spit out his tea, doubling over in suppressed laughter.

"What? Your arse is absolutely lovely. Oh, and the fact that you're quite possibly the strongest, most humble person I've ever met that won't let awful shite get you down."

"But let me guess, it's mostly my arse?"

Luna shook her head slowly. "No… excellent chest too."

* * *

It was extremely late – or to others, extremely early – and Luna was sat in the kitchen, a cup of tea in her hand, and a tired, weary expression on her face as she watched the moon slowly start to dip below the horizon, the dawn fast approaching.

She'd had a hard awakening, first for a while, after a sleep wrought with panic, nightmares and baseless fears. She'd reluctantly left Harry's spooning embrace and sat out in the darkened kitchen alone, drinking her tea and trying to clear her mind of the badness. She didn't notice the bedroom door opening, and barely acknowledge the soft footfalls of Harry as he walked in, sitting down next to her at the kitchen table, putting his hand on her leg with a comforting squeeze.

"Morning Harry Potter." She said in an uncharacteristic monotone, looking ahead still and taking a sip.

"Nightmares again?" Harry asked quietly, closing his eyes in silent pain as she nodded.

"It was a horrible one. One where… you left me. That all this was a cruel joke, and you got back with Ginny. And laughed in my face."

"Oh Luna..." Harry said quietly, and he leaned to give her a kiss on the cheek, keeping his hand on her leg. "Well, I can safely say that'll never happen. In the unlikely event we ever break up, I'll still always want to be a friend."

Luna turned to him with those silvery grey eyes he loved so deeply, and said "Always?"

Harry nodded and gave her another kiss on the cheek. "Yeah. Always."

Luna gave him a soft smile and finished her tea, leaning into him and hugging him softly. "What got you up then? Looking for me?"

"Yeah, combination of that and a nightmare of my own."

Luna frowned and stroked his hand with her thumb. "Want to share?"

"It was… one of the typical ones, really. Only difference to the norm was… well, when I was in sixth year, I was in a duel, with Draco Malfoy. And I… I cast a curse on him that… I still feel bad about it today."

"Oh… did it hurt him?"

"Yeah, he had to go to St Mungo's. I… the curse I cast absolutely lacerated him. Nearly died of blood loss. Still haven't quite forgiven myself. Especially since the war. He was a scared kid Luna. Did he do some horrible shit? Yeah, absolutely. But he's… human. He wrote me a long letter a while ago. Apologising, falling over himself doing it actually. Saying he's kept up at night by what he did, that he changed, that he's rejected all the old pure-blood bollocks."

"What's he doing nowadays?"

"He said some vague stuff about antique dealing, but… as far as I know, nowt else. I should reply, one of these days."

Luna smiled again and gave Harry a small kiss. "That'd be nice. I always thought he wasn't cut out for Death Eater work. He wasn't a sociopath… just a wanker."

Harry chuckled and held Luna closer as they both started giggling. First time in a while that he'd been woken up in 'that' manner and hadn't broken anything. First time in a while she'd woken up in 'that' manner and not hated herself. Not bad at all for only the second day living together. They could both get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: That part in the garden was my favourite part of this chapter, just having some lovely, serious, wonderful conversation end with a joke like that is exactly how I'd go about something like that IRL! And the final part, teasing a little bit of Draco coming soon... I'm looking forward to that. :)
> 
> Musical inspiration is Home Sweet Home by Mötley Crüe, a band I have an undying love for but have a (deserved) reputation for writing really raunchy, sometimes downright dirty songs... this is one of the sweet songs in their catalogue, and VERY fitting for the first full day living together.


	19. Don't Look Back in Anger

In Knockturn Alley, tucked away even further than the titular alley itself, stood a small antique shop. Smaller than Borgin and Burke's, though not as dark, it would be totally and wholly unremarkable if not for the owner. Draco Malfoy, far removed from the boy he was, had rejected his past, had rejected pure-blood supremacy, and had taken up something he, for once, was actually interested in.

He wasn't wanting for money, since the family's wealth hadn't gone anywhere and Lucius had been, before the cracking of his mind, a shrewd investor. He wasn't wanting for fame, or, rather, infamy. He wanted peace. With him, his mum and his wife Astoria, he'd found it at last.

From his position behind the counter of his shop, he was content to sit reading from his collection of alchemical texts, until the slightly-less-rare-than-expected event of a customer, where he'd be quietly friendly and only talk if spoken to. Quite the change from his past.

He definitely wasn't expecting customers on a quiet Sunday morning though, and he definitely didn't expect the two customers who did come through the door, letting in the din of the street outside for just a few seconds. Looking up from a Nicolas Flamel book, he started to give his standard greeting of "Hi there, just call me over if you need anything." But barely made it through "Hi." before he took in the two people in front of him.

* * *

Harry Potter. Of all people, Harry Potter had stepped into his pokey little antique shop. And with him… Draco's heart sank as he spotted her. Luna Lovegood, her hand entwined with Harry's. One of his biggest points of shame, one of his biggest regrets, was not saying anything when she was imprisoned in the mansion dungeons. It weighed on him… especially now.

Draco flicked his wand and locked the door, the shutters to the shop closing too, the shop in temporary darkness until another flick of the wand lit up the sconces on the walls, flickering with instant flame. He stood, and nodded to the back of the shop. "I have a little kitchenette back there, head on through." He muttered, Harry and Luna slightly dumbfounded, Draco noticing Harry thumb his wand in his pocket.

"Stop it Potter, you're at no risk here..." He lead them through to the kitchenette and sat them down at the table, turning his back to them and putting some water to boil. He sighed, and broke the awkward silence. "So… what brought you to my dingy little corner of Knockturn Alley? And…" He turned around to point at their still-linked hands. "Somehow I'm not surprised." He gave them a small smile and went back to the kettle.

Harry was floundering, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. A lot had happened in just a few minutes. The panic from Malfoy shutting the shop at their arrival, the relief at him ushering them through to the back, the frank openness of his manner… and the realisation that Malfoy was… being cordial. No, scratch that; being friendly.

Luna was the one to break the silence in the end, keeping her grip on Harry's hand tight. "Well, the fake answer would be that we moved in together on Friday and I wanted to decorate. But I don't like giving fake answers so I'll just say that Harry wanted to come and say hello."

Draco let a smirk curl at the edge of his mouth and he floated the teapot over to fill with hot water, the loose leaves already sitting in the pot. "Hello? I guess it's as good a reason as any..." He trailed off, and looked away. "I can tell you're uncomfortable Potter. If you'd rather not be here I understand completely. But if there's one thing I know about you it's that you don't tend to back down from uncomfortable situations."

"Bit of an understatement there Draco." He replied, in a bit more mild shock… Draco said something actually positive about him?! "I suppose I'm here… because I remembered your letter from last year. And, well… sorry for not replying."

Draco snorted and shook his head. "Don't worry about it Potter, I didn't expect one. I know there's probably quite a lot of resentment still there, and again, I totally understand if you think I'm a stain on your shoe. I just wanted to say sorry for what I and my family did."

Harry sighed. "You did what a lot of other Death Eater types didn't. You admitted you did bad shit."

"Yeah. I did some awful shit. Shit I want to leave behind." Draco levitated the teapot to the table and some cups to go along with it, pouring out for the three of them. "I never quite bought into it all, it was all to please Dad. Took far too long to realise he was a bit of a tosser. Oh well… he went to Azkaban. Glad to see the back of him."

Draco sat down and leant forward to look Harry in the eye. "I don't expect to ever be friends. But, I just want you, and Luna over here, to know that I regret what I did. Genuinely. I'm married now, I run this little antique shop, I want to put all the past behind me."

Harry looked down, pensive, and felt bitterness start to rise like bile in his throat until Luna's comforting touch brought him out of it, and she gave her own answer to Draco. "I don't bear you any real ill will Draco. I never did back then, to be honest. I saw behind your eyes, that you were quite scared. Quite intimidated. Now your aunt Bellatrix… she was a right auld cow." Luna said in her trademark dreamy tone, prompting a fit of snickering from Draco, Harry quietly following.

"Oh don't, the arguments my mum had with her close to the end of the war… they were bloody legendary." Draco sighed and sipped his tea. "Thank you Luna… that means more than you'd think." They sat in silence for a bit, drinking, before Harry spoke up at last.

"I used to fucking hate you." Harry murmured, surprising Luna and provoking a sad smile from Draco. "You used to look down your nose at nearly everyone, and when you called Hermione a… 'Mudblood' I was ready to break your nose. Hell, she damn near did in 3rd year." Draco rubbed his nose subconsciously at this, and looked away.

"You were a smarmy, arrogant little twat that I wanted to do horrible, horrible things to. You had money, you had influence, you were the absolute stereotype of a spoiled shitty little rich boy. Every part of me is screaming to just… hate you." Luna held his hand tighter and moved closer, trying to soothe him by rubbing his back, a worried expression starting to form.

"But… I can't. I came today to actually ask forgiveness myself. Remember 6th year? That duel, in the bathroom?" Draco nodded.

"Yeah. When you lacerated me. That was… a surprise, I'll tell you that much."

"Yeah. You were in St Mungo's for ages. I got detention from Snape, and a bollocking from McGonagall. If it was for any other spell, or injury, I'd have wondered why I got detention. When I cast that _Sectumsempra_ though… I wondered something else." Harry straightened up and stopped himself shaking, not having realised that he was doing so until then. "I wondered why I wasn't expelled. I nearly killed you. I DESERVED to get expelled for that."

Draco thought for a second, and turned to Harry with a question. "Did you KNOW what the spell did when you cast it? Snape told me about all that business in a few private chats." Harry shook his head. "Then you didn't deserve to get expelled. It was incredibly thick to use an unknown spell in a duel, mind you..." Harry smirked.

"But it was a mistake. If we treated every mistake like that we'd all be utterly screwed. Plus… it was a duel. Not a formal one either. One of those really intense, skin-of-your-teeth duels. When it's one of those duels, you do some brutal stuff to stay alive, let alone win. I don't blame you for doing it, though I still think it was incredibly dumb to cast an unknown spell. Plus side… got me some brownie points with Astoria. She likes scars. She thinks they make me look rugged."

Harry gave Draco a small smile. "You forgive m-"

"There's nothing to forgive there… Harry."

This provoked a full-on smile and Harry was surprised to feel a few tears form. He wiped them away and squeezed Luna's hand, letting her know silently, that he was fine. "That was good of you to say that Draco, and I think Harry's a bit more emotional about it than he lets on."

Draco let out a quiet laugh and leaned forward. "What's the matter Potter? Made yourself a new friend?" Harry joined in with a laugh and felt his anxiety start to fade. Yeah… he might have made a new friend. Did he expect it to be Draco Malfoy? Lord above, no. Did he mind? Lord above… no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Whew, that was a long run just for one scene! It's one I had trouble with regarding my writer's block, but I'm alright with how it turned out, and I don't think my version of Draco is too bad, if I say so myself! And I feel that Draco will have significantly matured in his time alone, and his reflection will lead to a better, human Draco. :)
> 
> Musical inspiration is Don't Look Back in Anger by Oasis... now this one is obvious.


	20. Just Like Heaven

"_Mr Potter… Harry. Words really can't express how I proud I am of you, how far you've come since the start of the year. When I saw you, back in late April, you won't mind me saying you were in a bad place."_

_"A VERY bad place Dr. I thank whatever is up there that I managed to admit to myself that… that there was a problem in the first place."_

"_I remember you saying it took a visit from Kingsley Shacklebolt and a potential-"_

_"Howler from Molly Weasley. I think that scared me far more than the visit from Kingsley if I'm honest Dr."_

"_I don't blame you, I remember how… furious she could get when I went to Hogwarts with her. But it wasn't just all that, was it?"_

_"No… Luna's been wonderful."_

_"She's good for you, isn't she Harry?"_

_"If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't really be happy at all right now. I'd have been in a far better place that I was but I think that place would have just been very grey, very flat."_

"_She moved in with you a while ago, didn't she?"_

_"Oh yeah, back in early August. We're coming up to Christmas now, so I think that's… four months? Give or take a few days."_

_"And how is it?"_

_"Well, it's been… she's added colour to everything. Which I think says a lot. She brought all her vinyl over from her friend in Bristol too, that was an ordeal."_

_"Ooh, I remember she told me about all of it when I last saw her, she's got some good taste."_

"_Yeah… it's been nice. Music's been in the house again, she's always painting or drawing, and she mentioned she wants to start working again in the new year."_

_"Oh that's outstanding! Any ideas where?"_

_"Yeah, she's going to start at an animal sanctuary outside the village. Quite proud of her, she's come a long way herself."_

"_Anything nice planned for Christmas before I see you next Harry?"_

_"Nothing major. Going to visit the Burrow a few days before Christmas, see all the Weasleys. Have a private thing with Ron and Hermione on Boxing Day, Luna's dad is coming on Christmas Day. So we've got Christmas Eve to ourselves. I've got a surprise planned too, gonna go get her a gift from Diagon Alley. I think she'll rather enjoy it..."_

* * *

Harry apparated in to the living room to the sound of Luna humming along loudly to The Cure, and he smirked as he followed the noise to the room she'd claimed as her office. His smirk grew to a full smile as he spotted her, bobbing her head to the music and deep in her current work… a charcoal sketch of her and Harry.

She didn't look up as he entered the room, and was still deep in her work until Harry put his hand on her shoulder, and she jumped slightly with a quiet "Oh!" before turning around to spot him, her expression turning from soft focus to perky excitement as she jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck, a rapid-fire "hiharryhowwastheappointmenttodayiloveyouquiteabityouknow." spilling out.

Harry hugged her back tightly and nuzzled into her shoulder, looking down at the sketch. "How long have you been working on that one?"

"Ooh, about an hour. I've not been up long, I went back to sleep after..." She blushed and turned back to the sketch, a rather wry smile on her face. "You tired me out, let's say that." Harry blushed himself and kissed Luna's forehead, loosening his hold on her.

"Sorry. Or… not sorry, I suppose?" Harry shrugged and Luna giggled, hitting him playfully on the chest.

"So, how was it today at the hospital?" Luna sat up on her desk and adopted her trademark 'dreamy' expression, her eyes lidding and her smile shrinking, but not dulling her expression.

"Oh, it was good, actually. Dr Voce basically sang my praises for the entire hour about how much better things have been since April."

"Aye, you've done well Harry. Very well."

"I suppose I have, haven't I?" Harry scratched the back of his neck and took a second to take Luna in. If there was one thing he never got out of his mind, it was her simple beauty. Her waist-length blonde hair, almost white in the summer, those wonderful silver-grey eyes he was lost in almost every day, even the odd blotch of paint or charcoal backdropped against her sheet-white skin. It was his daydreaming over this that caused him to bliss out, and Luna to start waving around his head, snapping Harry out of it.

"Feckin' Wrackspurts, getting in my man's head without asking permission..." She mumbled, provoking a snort from Harry and another hug, Luna squeaking in surprised delight at being wrapped in another hug.

"You were looking at my body again, weren't you Harry Potter?"

Harry just nodded into her neck and leaned up to kiss her cheek, pulling back. "Yeah. It's quite easy to."

"Well I for one object to this… objectification." Luna replied in a faux-serious voice, failing to hide a smile. "Anyway… yeah… you've done fantastically sweetie."

"Thank you… honestly. It sounds stupidly corny but you've been wonderful."

"Oh stop it! Now the feckin' Wrackspurts are coming back!" They laughed together and stayed in a hug, not particularly wanting to let go.

"So… what's the plan for tonight Harry Potter?"

"Ooh… I was thinking… we do the last of the presents, go get a fish and chips, then come back and watch a film."

"Classic plan of the Potter-Lovegood household. Has yet to be beaten." Luna smirked and got up on her tiptoes to give Harry a short kiss, before ushering him away. "I have to get finished with this, you go and get on with… whatever you need to do."

Harry smiled at her innocent bluntness, and gave her a kiss in return before heading into the living room and pulling an envelope out from the little drawer in the coffee table, with Luna's name on it. He took the letter out but kept it folded, spellotaping something to the back of it… the present he'd gotten Luna from Draco's shop in Diagon Alley just 20 minutes ago. The one he was sure would make her year.

Harry heard a familiar song from Luna's office and grinned. Just Like Heaven… his personal favourite song by The Cure. Luna had shown him a lot of Muggle music she'd gotten into back in Bristol; HIM, The Smiths, Metallica, but their shared favourite had always been The Cure.

His smile got even wider when he heard Luna vocalising along with the guitar, and he hid the envelope away, tucking it back in the drawer of the coffee table… ready for later that evening. He'd realised over the past few months, that living with Luna was just like a dream… "Just like a dream..."

* * *

Snow was falling softly outside as the film started to end. Another one of Ron and Luna's shared horror recommendations, and one that didn't really surprise Harry at all. "Silent Night, Deadly Night? Good lord, some of these titles are on the nose."

"It was made in the '70s Harry, they didn't do subtle back then."

"I suppose… why be arty farty when you can name a film something like "Hobo With a Shotgun" and get the point across."

"That was a good film actually."

Luna cracked up at Harry's expression of disbelief and mild horror, nuzzling harder into his chest from their cuddling position on the sofa.

"You CANNOT be serious? That film actually exists?!"

Luna kept giggling and flicked her wand out to turn off the DVD player. "Aye… it was great." She sighed happily and gave him a tight squeeze. "You're greater though."

"Is that something that you can really qualify? Being greater than a B-Grade horror film about a homeless man with a shotgun?" Harry snorted and kissed her forehead. He flicked his eyes to the clock and saw the hand just turn to 11:50pm. He wanted to give her this present before the day was up, so he swallowed, and shifted around to sit up with Luna.

"Luna… there's something I want to say… well, give. I've got a thing, where the people I really, truly care for, I give a special present on Christmas Eve. Something to let them know that I love them. Love the bones of them." Harry started to shake and wring his hands in nervous excitement, only slowing down when Luna entwined her fingers with Harry's, giving him a warm smile.

"Okay… I can see you're nervous though Harry. It… it must be pretty big."

"That's, possibly underselling it. REALLY underselling it, actually. I've been a bit secretive about it, though you've probably noticed."

Luna nodded slowly. "Is that why you were gone longer than normal the other day?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I had to go and get something." Harry gulped again and moved from the sofa to the floor, Luna moving to softly stroke his hair and kiss the top of his head, while Harry slowly pulled open the drawer in the coffee table and pulled out an envelope. "I want you to read this letter that I wrote for you. All of it. It's not very long, but it's still important that you-"

"Read it. I guessed that Harry Potter." She gently took it and gave him a small kiss before slowly pulling the envelope open and starting to read the letter aloud.

Harry shifted his weight and kneeled in front of her, taking her free hand and stroking it affectionately, starting to tear up as she read quietly.

_Luna Lovegood, there are seven billion people on this planet. Of those seven billion, only a tenth are in Europe. And of that roughly seven-hundred million people, seventy million or so are in the UK. And of that… there's only sixty, seventy at a stretch, thousand witches and wizards._

_Of all of the witches or wizards I could have met, to love, to cherish, I chose you. I chose you because since the start of our friendship, let alone our time together as lovers, you've shown me pure, total, and unconditional trust and support. It's been implicit right from the start, and words can't express how truly grateful I am to call you my girlfriend. Not just my girlfriend, come to think. My best friend, the most wonderful friend I have, the love of my life; I think these all fit nicely, so pick the one you prefer._

_I think it's time, after about 7 months of our love, that I call you something more than my girlfriend. Turn over the letter, you'll find out why it's a bit weighty at the bottom…_

_Harry xxx_

Luna started to shake, overcome with excitement as her bottom lip started to wobble, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Harry was kneeling in front of her, the smile on his face so wide his cheeks started to ache. Luna slowly turned the letter over, to find a ring.

In true Harry style, he'd just spellotaped it and Luna couldn't help but giggle as she peeled it off and took a look. Nothing flashy, nothing ornate. Just a platinum band. It was that simple beauty that he saw in Luna, that made him KNOW the ring was a perfect fit for her.

"So… that's why you were out so long."

"Yeah."

"Where d-did you get it?"

"Draco owed me a favour. Don't worry, there's no hexes on it, nothing untoward. It's just a plain old platinum ring. Well, I say plain, I mean, it's for you, so it's really anything BUT plain."

"And this is why you went and visited Daddy the other day wasn't it?"

"I wanted to be traditional Luna. Ask for the dad's blessing and all that. Xenophilius was quite… overcome actually."

"So that's why his eyes were red! I thought he'd starting smoking that… 'stuff' again." Harry giggled and sniffed back some happy tears, holding Luna's hand tighter as she started to inspect the ring closer, before pulling it away from Harry, moving the ring towards her ring finger.

She put it on slowly and the tears started to flow, rushing to hug Harry so tightly he struggled to breathe. They hugged and heaved through sobs for a long while until the clock struck midnight, and they pulled apart, their foreheads together as they took in the raw emotion of the moment. Harry broke the silence with the question he'd been wanting to ask, in truth, since that night under the moon, back in May.

That perfect night, with the walk into town, with the fish and chips on the bench, and falling asleep to a horror film in Ron and Hermione's front room. That wonderful, stunning night when he finally realised that Luna was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"Luna Lovegood. I love you more that I've loved anyone. More than I ever WILL love anyone. I could be under torture to say otherwise and I'd take every inch of it. I could be paid thousands of Galleons to say otherwise, and I'd refuse. Voldemort himself could be right here threatening to murder me, and I'd spit in his face. I guess what… what I'm trying to ask you is…"

She cut him off and gave him a long kiss, putting her hands on his shoulders comfortingly, smiling down at him as a tear trailed down her cheek. "Take your time sweetie. Take as long as you need."

"What I'm trying to ask is… give me the best Christmas gift… the ONLY Christmas gift that I want. Will you, Luna Lovegood… marry me?"

She burst into sobs again and bear-hugged him, sniffing and peppering his face with kisses, mumbling out rapid combos of "yesharrypotteriwillmarryyou" and "ohgodharryimsofeckinhappy" as she went, Harry's tears trailing down his own face quietly.

Harry, through the hug, reached his arm up to feel the scar on his head. No pain, no worrying about Voldemort or any Dark Lords, not even a dull ache, not for five years. All was well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Well... here we are. I'm so so sorry for the delay in writing this and getting the chapter up, but writer's block hit me like a freight train and I was brainstorming daily. I thought the natural end to this fic had come as well, so that's why I decided to end it here. I wanted to end on a VERY high note, and as a long-time Harry/Luna shipper, what better way to end a Harry/Luna fic with a proposal late on Christmas Eve? I loved writing this fic, every damn second, and I am so grateful to each and every one of you that's read this from start to end, or even if you've just skimmed. You've all shown so much support, even just by reading. You all made this happen, every single one of you. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!
> 
> Musical inspiration is Just Like Heaven by The Cure. I don't think I need to tell you guys why I picked this song. :)


End file.
